Lib Dems criticise football ticket 'rip-off'

British football fans are paying as much as six times more to see games than European supporters, the Liberal Democrats have claimed.

Figures compiled by the party show that the Premier League is "by far the most expensive league for fans, anywhere in Europe".

Comparing the cheapest possible regular adult season tickets, supporters in the UK pay more than five times as much as in Spain and Germany.

The cost for families to attend a Premier League match is £20 more per match than to see a top European Club.

And the research showed Chelsea was the most expensive club, with a season ticket costing more than six times as much as an equivalent ticket for last season's Serie A winners Inter Milan.

The Lib Dems said the high costs came in spite of a new TV deal worth £2.7bn.

The party's culture, media and sport spokesman Don Foster said: "This just goes to show that rip-off Britain is alive and well.

"If European clubs can keep their prices down, there's no reason why English clubs can't follow their lead.

"Despite the recent enormous TV cash windfall and the promise to freeze ticket prices, many clubs are still massively overcharging their fans.

"Last season we saw empty seats at premiership grounds - when will clubs wake up to the fact that ordinary fans are the lifeblood of the game?"