Why Liverpool fans refused to wave Anfield flags vs Fulham

Ahead of Liverpool’s Premier League clash against Fulham at Anfield on Saturday, home supporters refused to display flags – and there’s a valid reason.

Usually, before matches, a range of flags are displayed on the Kop, but this was not the case on Saturday (April 11).

Spion Kop 1906 withdrew all flags from the Kop as part of the protest against ticket price increases as Liverpool fans took action against the move, with the Merseyside club announcing an increase for the next three campaigns - meaning the average matchday ticket will rise by between £3 and £4.50.

The price rise is reportedly in line with inflation and will be capped at five per cent.

Supporters groups have also urged fans not to spend money in the ground and instead support local businesses nearby. An open letter to owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) is also available to sign.

Ahead of the fixture, Spion Kop released the following statement: "All Spion Kop 1906 flags will no longer be present at Anfield at the remaining fixtures.

"We feel we have been left with no other option. Year on year the rising costs are pricing more fans out of football.

"We must take a stand against the rising cost of football, we feel there's a value to being valued.

"We, the fans, are the heartbeat of the football club; the same heartbeat that Liverpool Football Club market for a pound note. We urge FSG to remember that our club should embody the identity of its surrounding community and resonate with the values of the surrounding area.

"What is Anfield without its heartbeat. Do the right thing for the future of our game. Listen to the heartbeat."

Flags will be displayed ahead of the Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain on April 14 to commemorate the Hillsborough disaster.

Liverpool fans previously staged a similar protest during a Europa League fixture against Atalanta in 2024.

Supporters’ group Spirit of Shankly (SOS) also issued a statement in response to the increases, saying they are “completely opposed" to the decision.

A statement from SOS posted after the announcement read:

“It is smaller than at some clubs and larger than others so far, but the bottom line is: the club do not need to do it.

"Liverpool recently posted record revenues. They are the richest club in the Premier League – putting up the cost of a ticket for regular match-going fans is not a necessity, it is a choice.

"SOS, as part of the Supporters’ Board, lobbied to continue this season’s price freeze for the next two campaigns to allow for continued dialogue on a long-term approach to the cost of tickets. The club chose to ignore it.

"We should not be conned into thinking it is normal for prices to go up each season. This is a choice LFC are making, and one that is driven by greed. Locking in a price increase for the next three years is unprecedented.

"There has been little meaningful engagement with the club’s decision-makers. Repeated requests to meet to discuss have been declined and, by setting out plans for the next three years, hope of further dialogue has been dismissed.

"Liverpool have long traded on the unique atmosphere, identity and connection to the local community that the club are known and admired for around the world. Yet the hierarchy chooses to disregard those who make LFC what it is.

"The constant chipping away at the working-class core of our supporter base is real. We need to act now to stop it.”