Yesterday, Sunderland goalkeeper Vito Mannone suggested that Black Cats players should reimburse supporters who had traveled to St Mary’s on Saturday only to witness the club fall to a humiliating 8-0 defeat against Southampton.
“I will personally talk to the team to see if it is possible to pay [for the fans’] tickets and their trip,” Mannone said. “We should do it because we didn’t put our foot in, we didn’t work hard. We started the game well but after we conceded we threw in the towel – and I include myself.”
Today, Sunderland captain John O’Shea has stated that the players will reimburse the 2,600 fans who made the 630-mile trip this weekend; but only for their match tickets.
“We win and lose as a team, players, staff and fans, however we wanted to acknowledge and thank the supporters who traveled such a long way to give us their backing and despite everything, stayed with is until the final whistle,” the 33-year-old defender said in a statement on the club’s official website.
Fans will have until November 5th to claim a refund; they can either return the match ticket to the stadium or send it by mail.
However, the fans will not have the cost of their travel reimbursed.
Train fares, some of which cost £152.50 for a return ticket, will not be paid. It would be difficult for Sunderland to work out how much to reimburse each fan because they would have traveled to the match by different means.
