A message from il Romanista: Dear Barça, lower the prices...
The Rome newspaper has sent an open letter to Barcelona
Rome-based newspaper il Romanista have sent an open letter to Barcelona demanding that they lower their prices for the Champions League match at Camp Nou in April.
Barça and Roma were paired together in Friday's quarterfinal draw, with the first leg set for Camp Nou on April 4.
There are still no official figures, but it's understood that tickets for traveling Italian supporters will cost around 90 euros, which has annoyed fans who paid 60 euros for Atletico Madrid and 40 euros for Chelsea.
In a letter written in Catalan and Italian and addressed to president Josep Maria Bartomeu, il Romanista have asked the Blaugrana to re-think their pricing strategy.
"Your club has always been different in the football world for the class it has shown on and off the pitch," it reads. "Barcelona have become synonymous with social work, 'mes que un club,' a club who 'dirtied' their sacred shirt for the first time with the Unicef logo.
"We ask you to consider what it means for a Romanista father to take their children to see this games. Hours after the draw, prices of flights between Roma and Barcelona -- normally very economic -- shot up. So did the price of hotels in the city.
"A family must add 180, 270 or 360 euros to be in the top ring of Camp Nou. If we continue like this, supporting a team will become an inaccessible luxury for a large part of supporters."
To finish, the letter they play on Barça's moto: "Demonstrate to us one more time that you're more than a club. We have faith and hope that you will consider this petition. It would be the best 'play' you can make, even before playing."
