by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Feb 10, 2016

Fenway Sports Group announced on Wednesday that it was backing down from its plans to increase ticket prices at Liverpool next season. It apologized for its plans that prompted 10,000 fans to walked out on the Reds' EPL match against Sunderland in the 77th minute on Saturday.All we can say is our friends who are Boston Red Sox fans should be so lucky. They've endured back-to-back last-place seasons (after the Sox won the 2013 World Series), yet Fenway Sports Group, which also owns the Red Sox, has implemented price increases for tickets bought in 2016."It has been a tumultuous week," the Liverpool said in a statement . "On behalf of everyone at Fenway Sports Group and Liverpool Football Club, we would like to apologize for the distress caused by our ticket pricing plan for the 2016-17 season."The walkout was in protest against the highest-priced ticket for next season increasing to 77 pounds ($112).The Liverpool ownership group -- principal Owner, chairmanand president-- went to great lengths to offer their contrition."The three of us have been particularly troubled by the perception that we don’t care about our supporters, that we are greedy, and that we are attempting to extract personal profits at the club’s expense," they wrote in their statement . "Quite the opposite is true."The move came one day after Liverpool was knocked out of the FA Cup and four days after the 2-2 draw with Sunderland -- Liverpool led, 2-0, until the walkout."We have never taken a single penny out of the football club," Fenway Sports Group's statement continued. "Instead we have injected vast sums of our own money to improve the playing squad and modernize LFC’s infrastructure -- exemplified by the [$174] million advance from FSG to build the new main stand. On the other hand, part of the ticketing plan we got wrong."A great many of you have objected strongly to the [$112] price level of our most expensive GA seats and expressed a clear expectation that the club should forego any increased revenue from raising prices on general admission tickets in the current environment. Message received."As a sign of our commitment to this improved ticketing structure, we are further announcing that this plan shall be in effect for both the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. For the next two seasons, LFC will not earn a single additional pound from increasing General Admission ticket prices."What has Fenway Sports Group done in the "current environment" (last-place finishes in 2014 and 2015) about Sox ticket prices at Fenway Park? They didn't raise prices for 2015 and they held off raising ticket prices for 2016 until -- well -- 2016. Fans had until Dec. 31 to buy certain tickets at their current prices. Otherwise, ticket prices are going up at a rate of a 1.4 overall percent increase.Differences in the two situations? The Red Sox have a far larger base of fans who'll pay to go to a smaller stadium. Fenway Sports Group runs the risk of being portrayed as ugly American owners -- a common perception at American-owned EPL clubs -- and ignoring longtime supporters who are complaining they are being priced out of Anfield, whose matchday atmosphere is suffering as a result.One other difference: The Red Sox have won three World Series in the last 12 years; Liverpool's last English league title was in 1990.