Footie fan to boycott club over age row

A RETIRED police officer is claiming sex discrimination against a Suffolk football club in a row over concessionary charges - and he now plans to boycott matches as a protest.

A RETIRED police officer is claiming sex discrimination against a Suffolk football club in a row over concessionary charges - and he now plans to boycott matches as a protest.

Les King, a long time fan and sponsor of AFC Sudbury, is furious with the club after learning the concessionary charge threshold was 65 for men and 60 for women for games at the Kings Marsh stadium.

The 63-year-old believes the “old fashioned” rule treats men unfairly.

He discovered the club's policy after his wife Maureen received a discount at 60 when he didn't. Mr King has written to club bosses but they say the concessions arrangement is within league guidelines.

Mr King who spent 31 years with the Metropolitan Police and still works with Suffolk Police as a crime reduction officer, said it was common for clubs to set a concessionary threshold at 60 or 65 for both genders - at Ipswich Town FC the threshold is 60.

Keith Morris, club chairman said: “As far as we are concerned there is nothing which says we have to have a concessionary rate for any age.

“The system we have is the way we have had it for many years - we are just following the legal retirement age. There won't be any changes.”