West Ham United: Fan-led group writes to Hammers over London Stadium pressure concerns
A fan-led supporters group has written to West Ham to express concerns over the ticketing situation for the Europa League game against Freiburg.
Writing on Twitter on Monday (26 February), the WHU Independent Supporters’ Committee (ISC) said fans have reported that they felt pressured into buying tickets in advance after the club’s website claimed prices could rise depending on who the Hammers were drawn against.
After it’s been confirmed that the last-16 tie against the Bundesliga side will kick off at 5:45pm, it has called upon the Irons to offer a cash refund to those supporters who bought a ticket before the start time was announced for the clash on 14 March at the London Stadium.
The group feels it would be a “fantastic gesture of loyalty” from the club to the fans, while it has also suggested that “kids for a quid” tickets be made available to ensure it’s a full house for the second leg.
West Ham owe fans a refund for Freiburg tickets
This is a difficult situation, but it’s one that West Ham have created for themselves after deciding to sell tickets for the game long before the draw was announced.
It appears as though the club had no idea that it could be scheduled to kick off at 5:45pm after previously being promoted as an 8:00pm match on the website.
There will be an awful lot of people who won’t be able to go to the tie due to issues around leaving work and making travel plans into London at such a busy time.
It’s quite ridiculous that the fixture has been scheduled for that time anyway, but it’s now up to the Hammers to do the right thing and give those people their money back.
It’s a real blow for the club as there is a good chance it won’t be a full house inside the London Stadium on what is a great opportunity to make it into the quarter-finals of the competition.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers have denied what anonymous sources have said about Moyes.
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