'FA Cup Final ticket prices are too high'

FA Cup Final ticket prices have been set too high, according to Sports Minister Richard Caborn.

Fans wishing to see Manchester United's showdown with Chelsea at the new-look Wembley on May 19 will have to pay between £35 and £95, although a limited number will be on sale at £17.50 for under-16s.

And while the Football Association has insisted that the price range for Cup Final tickets is "competitive", Mr Caborn disagrees.

He said: "It's not okay. I've said this very clearly, that I think the clubs and indeed the FA as well have got to look at ticket pricing and make sure that some of the profits made are recycled back into the game.

"I've said this about the Premier League and indeed, to be fair, some of those football clubs - Blackburn and others - have actually taken that on board and are either freezing the price or bringing the prices down.

"They (the FA) have got to look at it very carefully. They are in the marketplace and I'm hoping they will review the ticket pricing."

The Football Supporters' Federation is also unhappy with the policy and believes that prices should start at between £15-£20.

Chairman Malcolm Clarke said: "When they say the tickets are competitively priced, they are comparing the prices with the Premier League. But if you compare them with Europe, that is not the case.

"It does not matter if you have a nice stadium and a big game but if you have not got the money, that's it. Football in general is rapidly pricing itself out of the reach of a lot of ordinary supporters."

But FA chief executive Brian Barwick argued that the pricing for the first competitive match since Wembley's £800 million redevelopment was completed was "sensible and affordable".

Barwick said: "It was important to set ticket prices at a sensible and affordable level for the first FA Cup Final at the new Wembley. We believe these are very competitive prices for what will be a historic match."

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