Arsenal vs Leicester City: Arsene Wenger pleads with supporters not to protest during match

The Gunners welcome Claudio Ranieri’s side to the Emirates amid plans by both contingents of fans to protest

Arsene Wenger (GETTY IMAGES)

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has pleaded with both sets of supporters not to protest ahead of the match with Premier League leaders Leicester City.

The Gunners welcome Claudio Ranieri’s side to the Emirates amid plans by both contingents of fans to protest in a similar manner to the way Liverpool supporters successfully disputed plans to increase some ticket prices at Anfield to £77.

The Red Action supporters’ group, it has been revealed, also plan to join up with Leicester fans to snub the first five minutes of the Sunday 12 noon kick-off after Sky Sports moved the fixture at late notice.

Wenger said: “I see fans as supporters. Somewhere, I think they feel like [when] you are at home and use electricity, you have no choice. They go to the club, they have no choice. It’s a little bit like their faith.

“They want a fair price and I agree completely with you, because football started in the street with people building the club and coming from local places.

“You want people who live around the stadium to be capable to go to the game and watch the games. They are fans basically because they were born there.

“It is a very complicated subject. How do you decide what is the right level of ticket prices? First of all [you look at] your attendance and then you are being compared many times to foreign clubs.

“I don’t think we are on the same level ground as foreign clubs. For example, Bayern Munich paid one Euro for their ground whereas we payed £128million for our ground.

Liverpool fans show their displeasure at ticket prices (Getty)

“In France they pay nothing at all for their stadium, they pay nothing at all for their maintenance. We pay absolutely everything ourselves so we have to generate more revenue.

“It is true we get more television income, that is down to the audience and success but you know as well that it is down to the pressure of the market to pay for the players with a higher price and our expenses will come up straight away to increase their wages.

“After that you want the ticket prices to be as comfortable as possible for our fans. I looked at the comparisons, our cheapest prices is cheaper than anywhere in London.

“Our most expensive price is a fraction higher than the other clubs in London. Our most common ticket price is lower than many places in England. I don’t think that we have a massive problem on that front.

“Yes, you have to find a compromise where everybody is happy and the away fans need to be there. We do our absolute maximum to help away fans to do that.

“We have specialised people who look at it, and we want the away fans to attend our games of course.”