The higher they rise, the harder they fall.
Man City could lose a third of attendance as suspected ‘glory supporters’ are set to abandon the club if they are indeed relegated.
The Manchester club has been the talk of the town in recent months with a hearing underway into the 115 charges lodged against the team.
Many have speculated about the potential ramifications of a heavy sentencing, with some suggesting a points deduction, relegation or even expulsion from all competitions.
Now, data has been released that suggests the impact relegation could have on City’s attendance at the Etihad stadium as well as their general following.
In a survey undertaken by AskGamblers, a third of City’s attendance was found to be made up of ‘glory fans’, at 32%, who could ditch the club if City find themselves relegated to the Championship.
This is fairly understandably for any big club that there will be many ‘plastic fans’ who follow for the success, and City are no different, seeing a 15% increase in attendance since winning their first Premier League title.
Meanwhile, Man City have reportedly grown their global audience to 786 million people across all competitions during the 2022/2023 season.
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However, potentially due to the sudden and meteoric rise of the Sky Blues, it’s possible the club could see a greater drop off in fans who have only recently jumped onto the bandwagon.
Furthermore, the disgrace that would follow with being found guilty of 115 charges, compared to a drop off like United who simply stopped winning things, would surely have a greater effect on fan drop off.
Irena Ducic, Sports Content Editor at AskGamblers said: “Manchester City are a team that have millions of fans across the world, however the study shows an increase in fan’s attending their games since their financial takeover in 2008 and subsequent cup & league successes.
“Our study wanted to not only highlight how many glory fans Manchester City potentially have, but also, it hypothetically looks at how many of these fans would maybe stop attending their games if they were to be relegated as a result of the current trial taking place.
“The main results show that a staggering 32%, (almost one third) of Manchester City’s glory fans may no longer be loyal Cityzens!”
Manchester City fans will be hoping they can avoid a harsh punishment with the consequences potentially being catastrophic for the club.
Recent reports have suggested representatives of City players have been exploring options away from the club, while losing a third of their attendance could bring serious financial ramifications for a club whose income could shrink while having the running costs of a world-leading club.
The hearing for Man City’s charges began this week, while a decision is not expected for around another two weeks.
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