Football fans being priced out of game - Foster

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Sat 19th Aug 2006

With the Premiership season kicking off today, Liberal Democrat research has revealed how season tickets in England are still by far the most expensive in Europe.

For the same cost of the cheapest season ticket to see Chelsea, a fan could buy season tickets for all of Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The figures also show that:

• A ticket to see a top English club costs:

• More than four times that in Italy, Germany and Holland

• Around three times as expensive as France, Portugal and Spain

• A ticket for Chelsea costs over seven times more than one for Inter Milan.

Commenting Liberal Democrat Shadow Sport Secretary, Don Foster MP said "English fans will rightly feel they are being conned.

"Premiership season tickets prices may not have rocketed this year like before but they're still in another league in the rip-off stakes of Europe.

"Clubs are asking fans to pay as much for season tickets as they do for their summer holidays. On the continent, you can get a season ticket for less than a weekend break.

"There is a real danger that short-term profits are being given priority over the long-term interests of the game."