Liverpool files complaint over Man City ticket allocation for Etihad duel

Liverpool have complained to the Premier League after ticket allocation for the forthcoming Manchester City game was cut.

Earlier this month, Sportsmail revealed that City had been ordered by security chiefs to reduce visitor fan bases by 20 per cent following a series of incidents of disorder at recent games between the two sides.

As a result, Jurgen Klopp’s side have secured 2,400 seats for the Premier League game, rather than receiving the 3,000 most away clubs, in the latest development of an increasingly toxic rivalry.

That move doesn’t seem to have gone down well at Anfield ahead of their April 1 clash at the Etihad Stadium.

Liverpool have confirmed their allotment has been “significantly reduced” with the reduction agreed between Greater Manchester Police, the local Ground Safety Advisory Group and Manchester City. It added: “LFC have been in contact with the Premier League and Manchester City to contest this decision. The club are committed to having as many fans in the stadiums as possible for Premier League away games.”

Liverpool’s ticket quota for the trip to Man City on April 1 has been cut by 20 percent

It comes after a 15-year-old girl was “marked for life” after a coin-weighted beer mug from the Liverpool section was thrown at home fans in the Carabao Cup tie

But the Reds have made an official complaint to the Premier League over the cut

The Premier League has been contacted for comment.

While City declined to comment, it was understood officials felt they had no choice and had to act on advice. The move also comes at a cost as 600 tickets are not for sale.

In December’s Carabao Cup tie between the two at the Etihad, a 15-year-old City fan was hit by a coin-weighted pot that had been thrown from the visitors’ area. The teenager was marked for life.

A harrowing image of the girl’s blood-stained blue and white scarf later surfaced on social media. This was the latest in a string of incidents at matches between the two clubs amid growing animosity.

Last month, Sportsmail revealed how City are considering introducing nets on a case-by-case basis to surround away areas at Etihad.

Ahead of the Carabao Cup game, both clubs appealed for calm, but it later emerged that more than 50 rocket launch reports had been reported by the visiting team.

A 53-year-old, believed to be a City fan, has been hospitalized after being attacked off the ground during racial abuse at disabled Liverpool fans with a man arrested.