Many Sunderland fans have reacted with outrage after a statement from the club over season tickets refunds for the games missed due to the 2019/2020 season being curtailed.
The Wearside club saw their season come to an abrupt end as the League One season was ended via a points-per-game system.
Finishing eighth in the table, the Black Cats missed out on the chance to gain promotion to the Championship, the second successive year in which they have fallen short in that aim.
Stadium of Light season ticket holders missed a total of three home games due to the curtailment of the season and a recent announcement by the club has seemingly upset those fans.
The latest announcement made by Sunderland revealed that those fans with season ticket cards for the 2019/20 campaign will not be refunded until August at the earliest. The Black Cats outlined the process for supporters who were looking to gain refunds for the games missed against Shrewsbury Town, Accrington Stanley and Peterborough United.
"Sunderland AFC would like to thank supporters for their continued patience and advise them of the following details relating to the 2019-20 refund process," the club statement read.
"As previously announced, all season card holders are entitled to a pro-rata refund for the club’s cancelled home fixtures against Shrewsbury Town, Accrington Stanley and Peterborough United.
"And supporters that purchased single match tickets for the club’s remaining games – home and away – are entitled to a full refund.
"The refund process will take place via the following phases:
"PHASE ONE: Home match tickets – 6 July ‘til 17 July
"PHASE TWO: Away match tickets – 27 July ‘til 7 August
"PHASE THREE: Season cards – 17 August ‘til 28 August
"If a supporter is eligible for a refund, a credit balance will be applied to the ‘Account Cashback’ section within their online ticketing account in line with the dates above.
"This process applies to all ticket purchases, including those made in person, by cash payment and via Direct Debit.
"After logging in, supporters must enter the bank details they wish to use for the refund transaction before the expiry of each phase, after which point all cashback refunds will be processed.
"Meanwhile, our commercial team are currently in the process of contacting our commercial clients in order to talk through the options available to them.
"The Stadium of Light Box Office remains closed to the public and further information regarding its re-opening will be announced in due course.
"We would like to once again thank supporters for their continued patience and understanding throughout what remains an incredibly challenging time for us all."
Sunderland Echo reported the view of fans following the announcement which saw a large number of season ticket holders take to social media to criticise the club statement.
This is another kick in the teeth for Sunderland fans from the club, who simply cannot seem to get anything right at the moment. One must wonder how hard it could be for the club to refund season ticket holders now rather than making them wait until August, a further blow to supporters who have been deprived of three home matches.
Unfortunately, reimbursing those would hurt Sunderland financially but there is also the trade-off of the loss of goodwill from what seems an excessively prudent approach by the club.
What do you make of Sunderland's latest season ticket decision? Let us know in the comments section below...
