‘Rip-off’ drinks at football

THIRSTY football fans are being ripped off by the sky-high cost of a pint of lager at Premier League Manchester City, it was claimed yesterday.

The Liberal Democrats hit out at the football club for charging 74p more per pint than drinkers would pay at the average pub.

Manchester City charge £3.50 per pint, according to the Lib-Dems — compared with £2.76 in a pub and £3 at Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United.

It means that, over the course of a season, fans at Eastlands are paying much more than they should — to the tune of around £210,900 — the Lib-Dems claimed.

The figures are the difference between the overall bar takings at each club and the income if supporters had been charged the average £2.76 price of a pint.

Don Foster, the Lib-Dem sports spokesman, said: “Unfortunately, it comes as little surprise to me that Premier League football fans are, once again, being ripped off.

“As if extortionate ticket prices weren’t bad enough, top flight football clubs are charging over the odds for a basic pint. This blatant profiteering should not continue to go unnoticed.

“When will Premier League football clubs learn to stop taking the loyalty of their fans for granted?”

Across the Barclays Premier League as a whole, fans spent £1.7m too much on overall takings of £11m — having drunk a staggering 178,175 pints before and during matches.

London clubs West Ham United, Arsenal and Fulham all charge supporters £3.50 a pint.

Wigan Athletic charge their fans the lowest price — a pint at the JJB Stadium costs £2.70.