Ray Parlour has been speaking about Newcastle cup final tickets on talkSPORT alongside Alan Brazil this morning.
The 49-year-old revealed his shock at what he has heard from Newcastle fans who asked him for help getting tickets to the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday 26th February.
What’s the story?
Well, the Magpies travel to London at the end of the month as they face Manchester United in the Carabao Cup final.
However, there will be a number of Newcastle fans left disappointed even before a ball is kicked amid difficulties securing a ticket to the showpiece event, with only 32,761 made available to the Toon Army.
That is despite the fact Wembley has a capacity of 90,000.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Parlour said: “I was at the golf club yesterday and a couple of Newcastle fans asked, any chance of getting tickets? I know the FA have got rules where they give them to all different clubs, but surely you’ve got to give them to the proper supporters?
“A lot of clubs are getting tickets who aren’t interested in Newcastle or Manchester United. That can’t be right, surely not.”
Parlour is seemingly referring to deductions made to acommodate corporate seats and sponsorship partners.
For example, a YouTuber or social media influencer who has a partnership with Carabao would most likely be given a ticket to the Carabao Cup final.
As detailed by the Chronicle, the Newcastle United Supporters’ Trust (NUST) spoke to the club after there was a backlash from fans.
In what was a very lengthy statement, one section explained how Newcastle decided to organise their ticket allocation system.
“Accordingly, we established a set of priority periods based on eligibility criteria – heavily weighted towards season ticket holder status, number of loyalty points and Carabao Cup ticket purchasing history during the current 2022/23 season.”
Newcastle cup final tickets should go to fans
In our view, it is incredibly unfair to take tickets away from genuine supporters in favour of those in corporate.
Cup finals are a special – and often rare – occasion, so 100% of the allocation should go to actual supporters, who may find themselves waiting years for another chance to witness such a match.
Hopefully, those without a ticket find some way of attending, as it is a real shame to see just 32,761 made available to Newcastle fans.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
