Aston Villa miss trick at Villa Park after new announcement controversy

Aston Villa have "missed a trick" after the prices for their Champions League group stage fixtures were announced, according to football finance expert Dan Plumley.

The Villans confirmed that adult tickets for their group stage fixtures in the new look competition would be priced at £85, £94 and £97 with season ticket holders given discounted rates of £70, £79 and £82 [BBC Sport, 4 September]

Although Plumley admits he can understand the business side of this decision given PSR concerns in the Premier League, he has hit out at Villa's decision labelling the ticket prices "unrealistic".

"I think this where clubs just don't help themselves," Plumley exclusively told Villa News.

"From a business point of view, you can see it. Those games are going to be the most in-demand games at Aston Villa for a number of years.

"Back in the Champions League, what was the European Cup when they won one back in the day so you can absolutely see the business reasons behind squeezing a little bit more.

"But it just feels like they have probably gone a little bit too far here and the backlash that we've seen is what they're dealing with.

"It just seems an unrealistic figure even in the world of ticket prices nowadays, even with what some clubs are charging, I think they've probably just missed a little bit of a trick there and you've certainly seen that with the fan kick-off off of the back of it.

"As much as you can look at the business decision behind it, it just feels as though the club have missed a trick on this one."

How much are Aston Villa charging for Champions League tickets at Villa Park?

Villa were very close to breaching the Premier League's financial fair play rules last season and Emery's side simply cannot afford to risk a points deduction as they look to retain this place in the top four.

But it seems strange that it is the supporters who have been made to suffer for the Villans' financial mistakes when they have followed their club through relegation fights and seasons in the Championship.

The decision-makers at Villa Park haven't helped themselves are now rightly on the receiving end of backlash.

In other Aston Villa news, Emery has been handed a new boost in the international break after a Tyrone Mings update emerged

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