Oct 21 (Reuters) - AC Milan have thrown their support behind supporters planning to boycott Sunday's Serie A match at Udinese, saying the cost of away tickets places an unfair burden on travelling fans.
Tickets for visiting supporters were listed at €65 ($73). In a statement, Milan said excessive pricing risked widening divisions between clubs and undermining efforts to strengthen the profile of Italian football.
"The global appeal of Italian football depends heavily on the loyalty and passion of supporters of clubs like AC Milan," the club said.
"Charging those same fans excessive prices for away games is not only unfair, but undermines the unity of the league at a time when Italian football needs to come together to compete against the Premier League and other European leagues."
Milan also urged Serie A to consider introducing a league-wide cap on away ticket prices, such as England's Premier League which has a cap of 30 pounds ($40). The club also warned they could adopt a reciprocal policy.
Under the proposal, fans of clubs charging above-average prices to Milan supporters could face higher ticket costs when visiting San Siro, subject to league regulations, with additional proceeds "donated to Fondazione Milan to support charitable initiatives".
"Italian football cannot grow stronger by treating supporters differently based on the size of their club," Milan added.
Ticket pricing has been a longstanding issue for fan group Curva Sud, which boycotted Milan's away match at Juventus in 2023 in protest.
The supporters' group renewed its complaints last season over prices charged forMilan's fixtures against Juventus and also accused Torino of overcharging visiting fans.
($1 = 0.8909 euros)
($1 = 0.7470 pounds)
(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in BengaluruEditing by Christian Radnedge)
