Updated at 18.01
BORUSSIA DORTMUND SUPPORTERS are set to emulate Liverpool fans and boycott part of their game tonight over ticket prices.
The difference, though, is that the German club’s fans are protesting prices at away grounds.
The supporters are unhappy ahead of their team’s DFB-Pokal game against Stuttgart at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, and are consequently planning to stay away from the opening 20 minutes of tonight’s match.
The attendances in general have been down at Stuttgart this season partially as a result of high ticket prices.
Dortmund supporters are being charged €19.50 for standing tickets and €38.50 for the cheapest seats, while a quarter of the tickets being charged to the away fans are as high as €70 not including advance booking and postage fees (€1 and €6 respectively).
While sympathising with the supporters in question, Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel expressed concern that the team may be affected by the fans’ initial absence this evening.
“We understand their concerns, but despite that we would like to have their full support,” he told reporters.
It is not the first time Dortmund fans have taken a stand on this issue, as they previously protested high ticket prices at Hoffenheim earlier this season. The club’s supporters also set up the ‘Kein Zwanni (No to €20)’ movement in 2010, after standing tickets for away matches rose above €20.
