Season ticket prices definitely became a point of fracture between the Nacional leadership and its fans.
Guillermo Otálvaro, 75-year-old president of Ubanal, says that throughout history he has recharged his subscription 50 times and that it had never happened to him that the price was increased excessively, to the point that they did not want to or might not subscribe.
The situation is not easy. Atlético Nacional announced its subscription plan on December 15 for the first semester of 2023. However, the prices were double what was paid for the second semester of 2022. For example, for the south and north stands, the subscription was worth $210,000 and now for 2023 they asked for $448,000 to recharge it, and $512,000 for new subscribers. An increase of more than 100%.
Given the outrage and discomfort of the fans, the green club reconsidered the initial plan on December 20. For that same platform, the price was ‘lowered’ to $276,000 for those who recharge and to $322,000 for new subscribers, and that is if they do it in the first stage, if not, they will have to pay $460,000. Once once more, the price was left with an increase of 40%, much more than the 12% inflation for the year.
In addition, on this occasion it did not include the matches of the group stage of the Copa Libertadores, which represents an additional outlay for fans in the month of March.
While, for example, Independiente Medellín put the south and north stands, the most popular, at $109,900 for those who recharge their 2022 season ticket and $137,900 for the new ones. That is to say, Nacional is charging double what DIM charges and it can even be triple for the new ones who are caught at night.
The bars are right for their discomfort. The disproportionate increase in the prices of subscriptions also became a vase for Llorente for the bars that were upset with the leadership due to the lack of a solid project, important reinforcements for the Copa Libertadores and the departure of several referents.
In addition, in the month of June the work table made up of the leaders of the main bars and the club’s president at that time, Emilio Gutiérrez, was terminated. The fans withdrew due to the departure of Giovanni Moreno and the arrival of Benjamín Romero to the executive vice presidency.
Marta Suárez is one of the subscribers of Nacional and used to subscribe with her husband and her 11-year-old son. Both earn the minimum wage, which by 2023 will be $1,300,606 pesos (including the transportation subsidy). So the monthly income of this family is $2,601,212 and if they recharge the 3 season tickets for the North Stand they would already be spending $828,000. “We see ourselves on all fours shopping, paying for services and buying school things for the child, in addition to the debts we have. We are going to have to not go back to the stadium to see Nacional”, says Marta sadly. However, Marta’s story is not the only one because there are also those who are engaged in informal commerce, who do not even reach the minimum wage and who did “bite their hearts out” to go to the stadium to accompany Nacional in search of recreation.
This is the case of Eduardo González, who has a tennis sales point in El Hueco and who, despite everything, had been making the effort to subscribe and wanted to accompany the club in the Copa Libertadores, but now he won’t even be able to see it on television because he doesn’t have the resources to pay for a plan that includes professional soccer.
“It will be time to stick to the radio, it is a situation that makes me very sad because I went with friends to see Nacional, but with those prices it is impossible and if the season tickets are like that, imagine how the ticket will be loose and how much the resellers will raise it,” he said. lament.
According to the calculations of some fans, the prices that might be in line with the economic reality of the country might oscillate between $340,000 for the popular stands, and $1,500,000 for the stalls, which in this case would be the most expensive and that at these values The matches of the Super League once morest Pereira and the 3 of the group stage of the Copa Libertadores are included.
The Organized Bars rejected the threats once morest the club’s managers, but they also claimed their right to protest and they did so this Tuesday.
With chants in front of the club’s administrative headquarters, they once once more asked that the value of the subscriptions be lowered so that people with limited resources can access them. A positive response from the club is expected so that the great objectives can be achieved once more, which have always been achieved with the performance of the players on the field, the union of the fans, the media and those who make important decisions. At Atlético Nacional, who cannot turn their backs on their fans today.
