Shakhtar Donetsk is hosting its Champions League matches in Gelsenkirchen this season, implementing dynamic ticket pricing that has led to significant backlash from fans, particularly from FC Bayern Munich supporters. Following steep price increases, ticket requests dropped drastically, prompting a boycott from Bayern’s fan group. The disparity in ticket prices has drawn attention, with Shakhtar maintaining they are within UEFA guidelines while expressing a willingness to negotiate. Meanwhile, Bayern aims to improve their standing in the tournament after recent losses.
Shakhtar Donetsk’s Champions League Home Games in Gelsenkirchen
This season, Shakhtar Donetsk is hosting its Champions League matches in Gelsenkirchen. The club’s dynamic pricing model has led to increased ticket costs for high-stakes games, such as the upcoming clash with FC Bayern Munich. In response, there has been a notable backlash from fans, leading to a significant number of ticket cancellations.
Fan Boycott and Pricing Concerns
Following concerns regarding the elevated ticket prices for the match against FC Bayern, a substantial volume of cancellations has emerged from Munich supporters. As reported by the German football giants, the demand for tickets plummeted from an initial 55,000 requests to just 19,000 by Monday afternoon. FC Bayern acknowledges that they have no control over Shakhtar’s pricing strategy, which has been influenced by the ongoing geopolitical situation in Ukraine.
On December 10, FC Bayern’s active fan group initiated a boycott, stressing that many members of the Südkurve München would refrain from attending the away match against Shakhtar Donetsk due to the steep prices. The group urged fellow Bayern supporters to stand together against what they perceive as unfair pricing practices.
The dynamic pricing approach adopted by Shakhtar Donetsk has resulted in stark contrasts in ticket costs. For instance, Bayern fans are facing prices of €105 for seats, while fans from Atalanta Bergamo can purchase tickets starting at just €28, and Young Boys supporters at €31. Additionally, standing tickets for Bayern fans are priced at €52, more than double the cost for Bergamo fans, who pay only €19 for similar tickets in home games.
The national fan organization “Unsere Kurve” expressed solidarity with the Munich supporters, demanding that UEFA enforce its price cap regulations for away tickets. They emphasized that this issue affects not just Bayern fans but all traveling supporters to Gelsenkirchen during the Champions League.
Shakhtar’s Response and Ongoing Challenges
In response to the backlash, Shakhtar Donetsk stated that they are adhering to UEFA regulations, offering a limited number of seats at a maximum price of €60. They proposed 10,000 tickets ranging from €52 to €105, exceeding the required allocation of 3,000 seats for FC Bayern. Despite this, they have not received any official feedback from Bayern regarding ticket pricing and expressed a willingness to work towards a resolution beneficial to all fans.
As FC Bayern prepares to face Benfica Lisbon in their next Champions League match, the pressure mounts following recent losses against Aston Villa and FC Barcelona. The team aims to secure a much-needed victory after their impressive opening win against Dinamo Zagreb. Currently positioned 23rd out of 36 teams, Bayern needs to climb into the top eight to advance to the knockout stages, with the next round involving a knockout format for the following 16 teams.