Liverpool fans planning walkout over ticket price hike

Liverpool fans have been urged to walk out of Anfield during Saturday's match against Sunderland in protest at their club's new ticket prices. The Spion Kop 1906 supporters’ group has asked fans to show their disgruntlement in the 77th minute of this weekend’s fixture.

Earlier this week, the club announced a new pricing structure for the 2016-17 season, which will see the most expensive match day ticket in the redeveloped Main Stand rise from £59 ($86, 76 euros) to £77. The new pricing structure will also see the cost of the most expensive season ticket price rise to £1,029, with the lowest costing £685.

A message posted by Spion Kop 1906 on Twitter on Thursday said: “Let's make sure the owners know this is unacceptable. On 77 minutes, leave your seat and walk out. Tell your mates and your family. Tell the people around you. Tell them why. Walk out on 77 minutes and show you care. Love the team - hate the prices. #WalkOutOn77”.

Spion Kop 1906's idea has been backed by fellow fans' group Spirit of Shankly, who on Tuesday said it was 'extremely disappointed' with the 'unfair and unnecessary' prices.

Liverpool say 64% of prices will freeze or decrease, with 45% of match-day tickets also seeing a reduction. New initiatives include a new £9 match ticket for local youngsters for three games and the introduction of 1,000 young adult tickets for 17 to 21-year-olds.

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Liverpool chief executive Ian Ayre has defended the price changes, saying: “We always carefully consider ticket pricing to ensure the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of the club. We recognise the incredible importance of ticket pricing to our match-going fans and we take the responsibility very seriously in determining pricing at Anfield.”