\n<\/p>\n
Tim Rolls, ex-chair of the Chelsea Supporters\u2019 Trust (CST), echoed the fury.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a number of issues around the short notice, the increase in pricing, the removal of concession pricing,” he said. \u201cBy removing the concession pricing without any advance notice, they\u2019ve just increased prices for youngsters, for over-66s. They probably are happy to alienate groups of season-ticket holders, especially the older ones, because they think that they can sell tickets \u2013 especially for this type of game \u2013 to one-offs. People who are happy to pay more because of the Mourinho effect. And it will inevitably have an effect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many suspect the categorisation was no coincidence, though Johnstone disagrees.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019d have done it anyway,” he claimed. \u201cThey don\u2019t want oiks like me who struggle to get \u00a3800 for a season ticket. We\u2019re no good to them. Why\u2019s the atmosphere so rubbish? Because they\u2019re filling it up with tourists. If people want to come and see Chelsea, I welcome them from anywhere in the world. It must be great. They\u2019d rather have those people paying \u00a370, \u00a380, \u00a390 for an ordinary ticket and going and spending \u00a3300 in the megastore and coming once in their life. People like me, at the bottom of the food chain, we\u2019re not going to have anything left.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n