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Manchester City’s players will refund ticket costs to supporters who travelled to Austria to watch the club suffer a heavy 3–1 defeat to Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League.
City endured one of the most humbling results in their history on Tuesday as the Norwegian side secured their first-ever Champions League group-stage win. The scale of the upset stood out, given that Bodo’s population of about 55,000 could almost fill the Etihad Stadium as well as the vast financial gap between the clubs.
In response, City’s squad agreed to reimburse the 374 fans who made the long journey. Tickets for the match at the modest Aspmyra Stadion cost around £25 each.
In a statement released on Wednesday, City’s captains, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, Rodri and Erling Haaland said the supporters meant everything to the team. They acknowledged the sacrifices fans make to follow the club around the world and said they never take that loyalty for granted.
The captains also recognised the hardship faced by supporters who travelled such a distance and stood in freezing conditions during a difficult night on the pitch. They said refunding the tickets was the least the players could do.
The gesture came amid a poor run of form for City, whose only wins in their last seven matches came against Exeter in the FA Cup and Newcastle in the League Cup semi-final first leg. City have yet to win a Premier League match this year and now trail leaders Arsenal by seven points.
Kevin Parker, a representative of City’s official supporters’ club, welcomed the decision. He said City fans regularly travel to the farthest corners of the world to back the team and described Bodo as a particularly tough destination due to its remoteness and sub-zero temperatures.
Parker added that the refund highlighted the strong bond between the players and supporters and meant a great deal to the fan base.
