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Sunderland director Charlie Methven has hit out at fans who choose to watch illegal streams of Sunderland matches as opposed to going to the Stadium of Light.

Speaking to BBC Newcastle, Methven outlined his belief that it is cheaper to buy a ticket to go to the match than it is to go to the pub, drink beer and watch an illegal stream.

Methven revealed that Sunderland will work with authorities to stop games being shown without licences and labelled fans who would rather watch a illegal stream than attend the match as ‘parasites’.

He said: “If you’re a fanatic of your football club and you decide, actually what you’re going to do is you’re going to spend your money on a few pints of lager and watch an illegal stream of the match rather than contributing that money to trying to help your club to be the best it probably can, you’re not a fan, you’re a parasite.

“When you average them out, it can be about £12 per ticket. I don’t buy that there are people who are poor enough to not be able to afford that but are rich enough to be able to afford to go to pubs and drink in there.”

And while some fans agree with the sentiment, Methven’s choice of words has not gone down too well on social media.

(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)

Dave Rostron tweeted: “Not sure Charlie is going to charm or persuade those he is targeting to come back to the match.”

Richard Easterbrook added: “If this is what @SunderlandAFC director Charlie Methven has really said about his club’s supporters, then it’s an absolute disgrace. Hard to believe he’s worked in PR if that’s how he describes his customer base.

“Not the first time he’s had a pop at the fans as well - he’s also criticised them for leaving early. Really dangerous ground for an exec in his early days at the club to be so confrontational.”

Alex Campbell said: “I would call this tactless as opposed to anything else. Eventually we will want them to be more behind the scenes and let the talking get done on the pitch!”

David Morgan continued: “He comes from a different world, one that makes empathy with working class football fans more than a bit difficult. To him, 12 quid is nowt.”

While Russell Poulford countered: “I agree with him, sponsoring illegal streaming I’d stealing, simple as that!”