Juventus' Ultras have allegedly planned to boycott the second leg of the UEFA Champions League against Atletico Madrid, which will be taking place in three weeks' time.
The Ultras seem to be protesting against the rising ticket prices of the stadium, with the famous Curva set to be completely empty, as it is usually fully occupied by the club's best supporters.
Rising ticket prices have been characteristic of Juventus' home fixtures this season, which are rumoured to have been brought about due to Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer to Turin over the summer, with some games having their ticket prices rising by a massive 600 percent.
To put this into perspective, earlier on in the season when Juventus travelled to Parma, the average price in Parma's stadium is usually £22.25, yet for the encounter with Juventus, the price rose to an astounding £158.40.
Such increases in prices have not been an ordinary act in countries outside of England, with Premier League clubs being heavily criticised in the past for their astounding season ticket prices. Premier League players have often voice their opinions about the extreme ticket prices that supporters have to pay, with Manchester City captain saying that the ticket prices have to be cut in order to attract the "right" sets of fans, who will increase the atmosphere of the stadium.
Premier League clubs are offering season ticket prices that range from £299 offered by Huddersfield Town, to Arsenal's whopping £891 season ticket price, which is only the minimum. The effects of these very high prices are felt in the stadium, with the atmosphere often being reduced, mainly due to the local, working-class fans not affording season tickets.
On the other hand, teams in the Bundesliga tend to charge some of the cheapest season ticket prices in world football, with the prices ranging from €140 for a season ticket from Bayern Munich, to the ones offered by Borussia Dortmund and VfB Stuttgart for €215. Whilst these may be the prices for standing places, the seating season tickets are still cheaper than most of the prices offered by Premier League clubs. The effect of such low prices is felt throughout the league, with the Bundesliga having possibly one of the best atmospheres in world football.
Bayern Munich fans made their voice heard during their trip to Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League, voicing their anger towards Liverpool for having them pay £48 for an away ticket. This comes after Premier League clubs were forced to cap their away tickets to £30, yet they raise them for other competitions.
Several associations in English football have agreed to join a movement to try and cap ticket prices for travelling fans to £20, after the away fans already have to spend plenty of time and money in order to get to the ground itself.
Whilst the rising ticket prices of Juventus may be to cover the costs incurred with the purchase of Ronaldo, yet there has to be a limit to the increase of such prices, mainly because it will anger the people that the club matters the most to, the fans.
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