Chris Heck has to be sacked as huge new Aston Villa ticket controversy outrages fans

Aston Villa must sack president of business operations Chris Heck after a ticketing debacle led to their Champions League tie with Bologna not selling out.

Dan Bardell wrote on X on 22 October demanding answers from Heck after one Villa fan posted to say they'd managed to purchase a £30 ticket for the match, with lots of seats still available.

Bardell had previously told Villa News that the club "made a rod for their own back" after initially charging exorbitant ticket and hospitality prices for European matches, leaving their fans in a bind.

Villa fan and X user GortAVFC posted in agreement, saying that the club's failure to sell out only their second-ever Champions League home game should be considered a "sackable offence" for Heck.

Aston Villa ticketing decision comes back to bite them

Heck and the Villa hierarchy cannot be surprised to see significant numbers of tickets for their Bologna clash appearing on resale websites, having decided to make fans pay through the nose in the first place.

Having revealed in September that general admission Champions League match tickets would cost up to £94, fans who have followed the club through many ups and downs have a right to be disgruntled. [avfc.co.uk, 4 September].

Though the West Midlands is packed with several Football League clubs and their fanbases, it's not to the same extent as London and Villa remain by far the biggest of those in the area.

The income brought about by Champions League qualification itself would arguably have been enough to keep ticket prices reasonable for fans, especially those who have stayed through thick and thin.

Answers will be sought from fans who have missed out on what turned out to be a magical night at Villa Park thanks to John McGinn, and Heck has to address the ongoing debacle as soon as possible.

In other Aston Villa news, Unai Emery is keen on signing a player who recently excelled against his side in the Premier League.

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