Vito Mannone refund offer 'complicated' - Sunderland fanzine
Last updated on .From the section Sunderland
Goalkeeper Vito Mannone's offer to refund fans' travel and ticket costs after an 8-0 defeat at Southampton may be too complicated to take up, according to a Sunderland fanzine.
Italian Mannone, 26, said he would talk to his team-mates about reimbursing 2,500 fans who made the 700-mile trip.
"What sort of precedent will it set?" asked Chris Thompson of A Love Supreme.
"The logistics are complicated. A refund of the ticket might be sufficient as a gesture."
The cost of refunding fans' ticket and travel costs has been estimated at as much as £450,000 - about £25,000 from each of the 18 players in Saturday's squad to reimburse each fan £180.
| Premier League's biggest wins |
|---|
| Manchester United 9-0 Ipswich, March 1995 |
| Newcastle United 8-0 Sheffield Wednesday, September 1999 |
| Tottenham Hotspur 9-1 Wigan Athletic, November 2009 |
| Chelsea 8-0 Wigan Athletic, May 2010 |
| Chelsea 8-0 Aston Villa, December 2012 |
| Southampton 8-0 Sunderland, October 2014 |
However, Thompson believes Sunderland's away support spent closer to a total of £200,000 to attend the game. That figure would equate to about £11,000 from each Sunderland player to refund each fan £80.
"We offered £40 coach return to the game and the most expensive tickets were £24. But some fans might have taken the train or driven," Thompson explained to BBC Sport.
"It was embarrassing and Sunderland are the laughing stock of English football at the moment, but is it right for football?
"It is three points that we didn't gain and if we beat Arsenal at home next week all will be forgiven."
The defeat at St Mary's, which featured two Black Cats own goals, is the heaviest in the club's Premier League history.
Sunderland, who finished 14th last season after winning four of their last five game to climb clear of the relegation zone, currently lie 17th in the table.