A planned protest inside Craven Cottage over Fulham ticket prices has been thwarted.
Supporters had planned a demonstration during the Premier League match against Manchester City this weekend using three large banners thanks to money raised through crowd funding.
The 'Stop the Greed' campaign had hoped to reveal the banners on 55 minutes to make their feelings known about the cost of a matchday tickets to see the Whites at home.
However, their plan will now have to be scaled back, as football.london can reveal that the group have been told that the banners will not be welcome inside the ground.
It is understood that the flags and banners can be seen as a health and safety risk as well as having a detrimental effect to the experience of fellow supporters.
With that, the decision has been made by the 'Stop the Greed' campaign not to reveal the banners during the match and instead focus their efforts before and after the game around Craven Cottage.
Supporters hope that the banners will still be able to draw attention to their cause and ensure the club hierarchy hear the message.
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Speaking of the decision, founder of 'Fulhamish' Sammy James said: "I'm disappointed that the club have taken this decision not to let the banners into Craven Cottage on Saturday, as I believe we tried our best to comply by the club's rules.
"The banners are not offensive, have valid safety certificates and are clearly representative of the feelings shared by a large proportion of the fanbase.
"The club told me personally that one of the main reasons behind the decision is because the banners are not supportive of the team.
"It's a shame they did not adopt such a mentality when allowing thousands of Liverpool fans into the home sections during our previous match.
"We will do our best to protest as visibly as possible on Saturday, despite this setback."
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For a 'behind the goal' ticket at the Hammersmith End - the cheapest available at Craven Cottage - the Whites price their tickets at £45.
Those tickets aren't available for all of the games, with the higher category fixtures having prices of up to £60 for a seat at that end of the ground.
That's the third highest price in the list of the cheapest tickets available in the Premier League behind Chelsea and Manchester City.
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Fans are concerned that these inflated costs are not only a cause of frustration to supporters but also a threat to attracting a new generation of match-going fans to come to Craven Cottage and support Fulham in person.
Sammy James shared this concern on the Fulhamish website: "What upsets me most about our ticket policy – we are not thinking long-term. Our support base may be larger than it was, but it’s far from saturated.
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"Why would any prospective untapped fan come to watch Fulham when they can see Spurs at Wembley this season for £30? I can’t imagine there are many families willing to part with hundreds of pounds just because they’re looking for a bit of Saturday entertainment.
"However, the people that are willing to pay this money? Tourists and touts.
"If you’re over in London from abroad, and it’s your dream to see a Premier League match, £55 to see Fulham versus Manchester United is a no-brainer.
"It might be lucrative in the here and now for Fulham, but will they turn into long-term fans willing to buy a season ticket in a few years time? Unlikely."
Speaking to Football.London , James insisted that he hoped that Saturday's protest would be 'peaceful and respectful', and that's why the group have agreed with the decision not to use the banner.
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Fulham Football Club have refused to comment on the planned protests at the match.
It's not the first time that fans at the Cottage have made their feelings known regarding ticket prices.
Earlier this season, Fulham justified their position on ticket prices at Craven Cottage, amid criticism from the Fulham Supporters' Trust, with the club pointing to a family fixture against Burnley in August as an example of when tickets were cheaper.
A spokesperson for Fulham Football Club has said: "There are various categories for match ticket prices in 2018/19 and these are balanced against other fixtures at Craven Cottage.
"Ticket classifications during the Premier League campaign include a ‘family fixture’ category, such as the match against Burnley earlier in the season, where adult prices ranged from £25 to £45.”
The 'Stop the Greed' campaign will, however, be doing everything that they can to ensure that their voices are heard.
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