Why Man City fan banner criticising season ticket prices will not be at Etihad vs Villa

Manchester City fans will not be able to air a banner against Aston Villa criticising the club over season ticket prices.

After a week of anger from supporters over the planned increases that included all four fan groups calling for a price freeze, the 1894 Group unfurled a banner at the Etihad prior to the Arsenal game that read: "Record profits but record prices. Stop exploiting our loyalty." This was removed from sight by stewards, with initial explanations pointing towards the banner hanging over advertising hoardings but later clarified as not having been checked to have a fire safety certificate.

The supporters' group took that to mean they would be able to display it at future games, although that will not be the case for the Aston Villa game. When the banner was confiscated on Sunday, some of their members had their accreditation taken off them that allows them early access in the stadium and the ability to move around to hang banners; 1894 said that their accreditation had not been restored, although the club indicated that fresh accreditation had not been applied for.

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Pep Guardiola has once again used his programme notes to call for support from the stands, writing: "We all know how important this game is and we need out people with us. It is a privilege to be able to play here at the Etihad and I am really looking forward to the match."

Despite the calls from supporter groups to rethink ticket prices, the renewals have gone ahead as planned with the first window closing on Thursday. The club have 36,000 season tickets - considerably more than clubs such as Liverpool and Spurs - and also have cheaper prices than most of