The supporters trusts at Spurs, Chelsea, Manchester United along with we at the Ugly Inside have joined forces to issue a statement about the rising costs of ticket prices for this years semi finals.

The statement issued this morning has the backing of not only we at TUI after many comments from Saints fans about the cost of the tickets for Wembley, but the supporters trusts at Spurs, Chelsea and Man Utd and the Football Supporters Federation.

It is simple and to the point and needs very little explanation and reads as follows.

"The decision to raise prices for the FA Cup semi-finals and finals to the highest levels ever defies belief.

The FA has secured record broadcast rights for the competition, there is a lucrative sponsorship deal in place, and attendances throughout the competition have been higher than in recent years. The FA itself is in better financial health than ever. So we cannot see the rationale for hiking prices.

The FA could have tried to explain the reasoning to fans, but once again the people who are the lifeblood of the game, the paying customers, were not consulted or even given advance notice. Like it or lump it is the clear message.

Supporters of all four clubs have already spent a fortune following their teams from round three onwards. Our reward for reaching the last four is price rises 10x the rate of inflation. The FA has taken this decision at a time when, by contrast, the Premier League has reduced the cost of away tickets to a maximum of £30.

Freezing the lowest ticket price category is a token gesture that will benefit only a small minority of supporters. These price increases further illustrate the longstanding issue we have with the FA as both the regulator of the game as well as the worst offender when it comes to excessive ticket prices for fans. A concession discount of just £10 further compounds the issue.

The price of football at the top level is already extortionate. This latest decision is nothing more than opportunistic exploitation of fan loyalty. We expect better from a body that claims to be the guardian of the game, especially in the oldest and most famous cup competition in world football.

We wonder, too, how the FA’s commercial partners feel about being associated with such naked opportunism.

The FA still has time to rethink. It should.
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THST, MUST, CST, Southampton fan groups"

Last seasons highest price was £60, but that ticket will now cost Saints fans and indeed the other semi finalists £80 and that is the case across the board, although the cheapest ticket has been frozen at £30 and last years category two tickets risen from £40 to £45 this, the top two categories have shot up.

The most popular categories will be 3 & 4 and they have gone up from £50 to £65 and then a 33% increase from £60 to £80 in the top category.

I think most Saints supporters although glad to be in our first FA Cup semi final in 15 years would agree that the cost is astronomical especially for those who take children and the FA are once again looking to cash in rather than taking account of the supporters of all four clubs.

Photo: Action Images via Reuters