Klopp slams price gouging: 'UEFA not saint of football'

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has given his "100,000 per cent" backing to supporters' group Spirit of Shankly accusing UEFA of 'ripping off’ fans.

After the Reds and Real Madrid booked their places in the Champions League final this week, the subject quickly moved on to the age-old complaint of ticket prices and allocation.

There are 75,000 tickets available for European club football’s showpiece event at the Stade de France, but each club has received just 19,618 apiece, while a further 12,000 were put on general sale via a ballot which closed last month, with the remainder going to the UEFA ‘family’ of sponsors and officials.

More than one fifth of Liverpool’s allocation (categories one and two) will cost between £410 (€480) and £578 (€676). Almost 56% are priced at £125 (€146), with nearly a quarter £50 (€58.)

Spirit of Shankly issued an open letter to UEFA on Friday claiming that, since Liverpool last faced Real in the 2018 final, ticket revenue for the final will have increased by 38%.

"Football supporters are tired of being ripped off. Tired of watching their team reach a final, but unable to find a ticket to attend. And tired of exorbitant prices," said the SoS statement.

"It's time UEFA recognised the power of fans and the importance of fans above sponsorships."

Klopp was in total agreement, saying: "I understand 100,000 per cent where Spirit of Shankly is coming from.

"It is absolutely not right, but it happens everywhere. It doesn't make it better, just in this specific case you are not only paying more than last time for a ticket, but you only get 50 per cent of the tickets (the two clubs’ combined allocation is 52 %) and the rest goes to people who pay thousands and thousands for the tickets.

"That’s how all the