Fury at Glazer ticket price plans

DETAILS of the Glazer family's business plan at Manchester United, including considerable hikes in ticket prices, have apparently been obtained by The Times newspaper.

The paper claims to have seen documents outlining plans to boost United's revenues from £161.5m this year to £246m in 2010.

The improved turnover would be funded from three key areas: a 61% increase in match day sales, a 13% rise in media sales, and a 76% increase in sales of merchandise and other commercial activities.

The article states that the average ticket price at Old Trafford will rise from under £30 to £46 over the next five years. Some Champions League ticket prices could also be hiked up by 25% from next year. Leading fans' group Shareholders United have reacted with dismay to the allegations.

'People are so disillusioned with the massive increases they are being asked to pay, it will just turn more and more fans off,' SU chair Nick Towle told BBC Radio Five Live. 'And how is he (Glazer) going to fill an expanded stadium when people are leaving in droves, it's very bad for his business plan.'

The Times also claims that Sir Alex Ferguson would be limited to spending a maximum of £25m per season on recruiting new players. 'The drive for commercialisation is becoming too much for most fans,' added Towle. 'It's really beginning to create a big problem, and that's just before fans stop buying the products and merchandise, which will also increase in price.

'Our campaign to urge fans to exercise their consumer choice and just not buy the products of the club or the products of the company and the products of the sponsors is going to grow and grow.'

However, a spokesman for Glazer's son Joel, recently appointed to the Old Trafford board, told the BBC: 'Things are still up in the air. Plans have not been finalised. Nothing has been signed off. These are speculative numbers.'

The spokesman also dismissed speculation that Sir Bobby Charlton will be axed from the United board.