This could become a popular quiz question. In the season, 2023-24 which football club had the most expensive non-corporate seats in the world, was it a) Barcelona b) Manchester United c) PSG or d) Fulham?
The answer is d. That’s right, little old Fulham, the one known as the Whites for their strip, that plays at the quaintly-named Craven Cottage in south-west London, is to charge £3,000 for its top-priced seats. That works out at £157 a match.
As a Fulham supporter, who holds two season tickets in the Johnny Haynes stand – named after the club’s best player – which still has wooden seats and flooring, and was built in 1905, the new tariff is shocking. It’s not where I sit but opposite, in the gleaming, brand new Riverside stand.
That comes with padded seats, plenty of leg room (the fans in 1905 must have been shaped like jockeys, judging by the lack of leg space and width in the Johnny Haynes), and attendant bars and food outlets, including sushi counter. The whole complex, which towers over the Thames and comprises football seating, hospitality, hotel, five-star restaurant, members club and apartments, has cost £160 million and it must be paid for, hence the whopping charges.
Even elsewhere in the stadium, which definably has not been upgraded, the season ticket prices have gone up by 18 per cent. My seat will cost £845.
That may seem good value compared with the “Platinum” section in the Riverside, but I don’t have an unhindered view – I’ve got pillars in the way – and as I say, I don’t have the creature comforts. Even so, by any stretch, a near 20 per cent rise is hefty. And this is Fulham, don’t forget, not those teams cited above. Our players are good but across the piece they’re not the equal of theirs and those at the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool.
We’re in the same Premier League as those English teams, we compete with them but we’re not as big. Even with the addition of the new stand, our stadium will house 28,500, a fraction compared with the glamour clubs. Nor do we have their global reach, meaning we cannot command as much in sponsorship and advertising deals.
Fulham is owned by Shahid Khan, often described as the richest person of Pakistani origin outside Pakistan. Mr Khan, who also owns the Jacksonville Jaguars in American football’s NFL, made his $12.1 billion fortune estimated by Forbes from dealing in car parts and inventing the one-piece truck bumper.
Just because he is the 94th richest American and 291st richest person in the world, does not mean he wants to splurge a large slice of his wealth on Fulham and besides, football’s Financial Fair Play rules dictate that he can’t.
Mr Khan has said he will cover £40 million of losses a year, after that he wants the club to be sustainable. He also wants what the fans desire, which is for Fulham to hold down a place in the Premier League, to be the match of the best teams. This season has seen Fulham secure a brilliant 10th position, comfortably mid-table. The talk is of aiming higher next year and winning a coveted European slot.
To have any hope of achieving that we must have decent players in all areas. We need to have the cash to buy them and to cover their wages. Therefore, we, the supporters, are obliged to pay more.
Khan is taking a gamble. He’s doing something that fellow proprietors have not done, and targeted the existing season ticket holders.
That’s the reasoning behind the pricing policy. Mr Khan is taking a gamble. He’s doing something that fellow proprietors have not done, and targeted the existing season ticket holders. The truth of modern top football finance is that people like me represent a problem. In the jargon we’re known as “legacy fans” – a description that has a similar connotation to “legacy retailers”. We’re a hangover from the past and possibly do not belong in the future.
That’s because clubs are stuck with us. They can only put up our prices by small percentage increases each year, based loosely on inflation, otherwise we will protest and cancel our tickets. We take up the majority of the seats. But the reality is that they can sell match-day tickets to “tourist fans” for far greater sums than the pro rata price we pay. They can also charge much greater amounts for those in corporate hospitality.
Add to that the fact most season ticket holders gather and eat and drink away from the ground, barely avail themselves of the bars and food stalls in the stadium, don’t visit the club shop so don’t buy merchandise, and disappear as soon as the match is over – so in other words, they offer little potential for extra revenue – and you can see why we’re regarded as hopeless.
Such is the demand for Premier League tickets that virtually all matches sell out. Clubs have realised they can make more from tourist fans and those on “loyalty” schemes who must collect points to qualify to buy the few floating tickets. They get the points from spending at the club shop and online on merchandise and other offers, then they get a chance to buy a ticket at a vastly higher price than the sum I am paying to watch the same match.
Mr Khan’s punt is that Fulham is in a prosperous part of London, its followers are wealthier relative to those at other clubs and therefore he can exploit that and charge them more. It’s a fine line he is treading. Make the season tickets too expensive and the loyalty and bank balances of even Fulham fans will be tested.
He appears to have called it right, just. Season tickets with the price increase and those in the new stand are selling well. Football, though, is a fickle affair. Nothing is guaranteed. Success one season can be followed by failure the next, even with a strengthened squad. It’s a sport, the results of which are determined by human endeavour, skill, brilliance and mistakes. Referees can influence the outcome and they’re human too, even with the addition of video-assistance, so their decisions can sometimes be wrong.
That’s why, to remove the uncertainty of not achieving the revenue they seek, the owners of the biggest clubs wanted to form a European Super League, which would not have relegation for the founder members. Their scheme was shouted down but they are bound to try again.
Will fans pay £3,000 should the worse occur and Fulham are relegated? That’s the chance Mr Khan is taking. For now, he is OK.
But let’s not dwell on the negatives, stick to the positives and Fulham continue their ascent and become a top four and Champions League fixture. Come on you Whites!
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Directed: Smeep Kang
Produced: Soham Rockstar Entertainment; SKE Production
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Jimmy Sheirgill, Sunny Singh, Omkar Kapoor, Rajesh Sharma
Rating: Two out of five stars
PROFILE BOX
Company name: Overwrite.ai
Founder: Ayman Alashkar
Started: Established in 2020
Based: Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai
Sector: PropTech
Initial investment: Self-funded by founder
Funding stage: Seed funding, in talks with angel investors
MATCH DETAILS
Manchester United 3
Greenwood (21), Martial (33), Rashford (49)
Partizan Belgrade 0
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
On the menu
First course
▶ Emirati sea bass tartare Yuzu and labneh mayo, avocado, green herbs, fermented tomato water
▶ The Tale of the Oyster Oyster tartare, Bahraini gum berry pickle
Second course
▶ Local mackerel Sourdough crouton, baharat oil, red radish, zaatar mayo
▶ One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Quail, smoked freekeh, cinnamon cocoa
Third course
▶ Bahraini bouillabaisse Venus clams, local prawns, fishfarm seabream, farro
▶ Lamb 2 ways Braised lamb, crispy lamb chop, bulgur, physalis
Dessert
▶ Lumi Black lemon ice cream, pistachio, pomegranate
▶ Black chocolate bar Dark chocolate, dates, caramel, camel milk ice cream
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
You may remember …
Robbie Keane (Atletico de Kolkata) The Irish striker is, along with his former Spurs teammate Dimitar Berbatov, the headline figure in this season’s ISL, having joined defending champions ATK. His grand entrance after arrival from Major League Soccer in the US will be delayed by three games, though, due to a knee injury.
Dimitar Berbatov (Kerala Blasters) Word has it that Rene Meulensteen, the Kerala manager, plans to deploy his Bulgarian star in central midfield. The idea of Berbatov as an all-action, box-to-box midfielder, might jar with Spurs and Manchester United supporters, who more likely recall an always-languid, often-lazy striker.
Wes Brown (Kerala Blasters) Revived his playing career last season to help out at Blackburn Rovers, where he was also a coach. Since then, the 23-cap England centre back, who is now 38, has been reunited with the former Manchester United assistant coach Meulensteen, after signing for Kerala.
Andre Bikey (Jamshedpur) The Cameroonian defender is onto the 17th club of a career has taken him to Spain, Portugal, Russia, the UK, Greece, and now India. He is still only 32, so there is plenty of time to add to that tally, too. Scored goals against Liverpool and Chelsea during his time with Reading in England.
Emiliano Alfaro (Pune City) The Uruguayan striker has played for Liverpool – the Montevideo one, rather than the better-known side in England – and Lazio in Italy. He was prolific for a season at Al Wasl in the Arabian Gulf League in 2012/13. He returned for one season with Fujairah, whom he left to join Pune.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
BOSH!'s pantry essentials
Nutritional yeast
This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.
Seeds
"We've got a big jar of mixed seeds in our kitchen," Theasby explains. "That's what you use to make a bolognese or pie or salad: just grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them over the top. It's a really good way to make sure you're getting your omegas."
Umami flavours
"I could say soya sauce, but I'll say all umami-makers and have them in the same batch," says Firth. He suggests having items such as Marmite, balsamic vinegar and other general, dark, umami-tasting products in your cupboard "to make your bolognese a little bit more 'umptious'".
Onions and garlic
"If you've got them, you can cook basically anything from that base," says Theasby. "These ingredients are so prevalent in every world cuisine and if you've got them in your cupboard, then you know you've got the foundation of a really nice meal."
Your grain of choice
Whether rice, quinoa, pasta or buckwheat, Firth advises always having a stock of your favourite grains in the cupboard. "That you, you have an instant meal and all you have to do is just chuck a bit of veg in."
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
