Kamara: It’s up to clubs, not players to sort out ticket pricing

Clubs, not footballers need to think about ticket pricing

The BBC’s annual Price of Football survey has been a big talking point this week with people from all corners voicing their opinions.

To be totally honest, footballers shouldn’t have to think about ticket prices.

They just have to concentrate on the job in hand and that is playing professional football.

Footballers are not responsible for what price tickets cost, it’s up to the clubs and the boardrooms around the country to decide how much watching football costs.

At the end of the day it’s only the clubs that can say “we’ve got enough money from the TV revenues to reduce ticket prices.”

The only other option is for them to come out and say we are giving you an exciting product and whether you like it or not you are contributing to a player’s wages so we need to keep charging top dollar to give you the best product we can.

Honesty is the key.

Football is a commodity in the same way that going to the theatre is.

You never baulk at paying £90 to go and see a show because you are hoping to be entertained, and more or less you can guarantee that.

At a football match you pay your money hoping to be entertained but it sometimes doesn’t work like that.

Unfortunately, unlike the theatre, the performance on a football field might not be up to the standard of a West End show which rates nearly 10 out of 10 every night.

In football you just can’t guarantee that and this is where the anger comes from some of the time.

Player’s need to concentrate on giving the best performances they can and it’s the clubs that need to address ticket prices and come up with a real solution for the fans.

Whatever happens the clubs have to deliver a product that the people want to see.

If that means a certain ticket price to help bring success and good players to the club then the directors have to make that decision and stick by it.

It’s refreshing to see that Sterling can speak out

I completely understood why Raheem Sterling felt the need to tell Roy Hodgson that he wasn’t feeling great and didn’t want to start in England’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Estonia.

You’ve got to accept that.

When I played it would have been unheard of for anyone to say the same but there were days that you felt “God, I can’t do this today, I’m knackered” but you had to plough through.

But in 2014 you should be able to go to a manager and tell them how you feel and have someone in charge who will respect that decision.

That’s the way of the world now.

If someone comes to you and says “I don’t feel great boss”, you’ve got to listen.

It’s refreshing to see that there can be that relationship between a manager and a player.

The difference in the old days was that if you earnt, let’s say £400 a week, you’d get £200 on top of that as an appearance bonus if you made it out on to the pitch!

So, of course you always wanted to play no matter how you felt or what condition you were in.

But the game has moved on. And so should we.

Senior lads should be given choice about representing Young Lions next summer

I don’t think it’s that important for some of the senior England players who are also eligible to play for the under-21 side to go and represent the Young Lions at next year’s European Championship (congratulations to the lads for getting there by the way!).

Gareth Southgate’s done a cracking job with the players he’s had at his disposal.

If some of the seniors decide they don’t want to go to the Czech Republic because they’re tired or carrying injuries then it’s up to them to choose if they want to play.

At the moment Gareth will be happy to pick the players who’ve got him there.

Having said that, I hear Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has already come out and said he’d like to play in the tournament.

We all know how passionate he is about playing for his country, his father represented England too, and for me if anyone says they want to play then you’ve got to pick them.

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