The adoption of a £30 cap for away tickets was a rare double in the Premier League era: a victory for the supporters' movement and an admission from the clubs that they had got something badly wrong.
Club executives were not exactly queuing up to talk about it, but be in no doubt that their adoption of an upper limit for travelling fans was a response to the criticism that has flowed their way in recent weeks.
Last month at least seven clubs voted against precisely this measure, enough to stop it happening under league rules that require 14 out of 20 clubs to agree.
At the same meeting they were told that their shared bounty from broadcast revenue over next three years will be £8.3bn (around £4bn of which comes from Sky as part of the £5bn domestic deal).
The juxtaposition of the two was brazen. The clubs stood accused of greed and, for once, they had no answer.
Supporters already deeply cynical about their treatment by clubs were outraged. The general discontent found its most powerful expression at Anfield, where 10,000 Liverpool fans walked out.
That may have been a specific protest against proposed prices for home fans, but it tapped in to the wider sentiment.
Even the most tin-eared club owner could not miss the message. League chief executive Richard Scudamore certainly did not, although until recently it seemed even he was struggling to persuade his employers that change had to come.
Perhaps the owners realised that without away fans the passionate support that helps sell the game around the world would be hugely diluted. And their own ticket returns would tell them that away support has been on the decline, in large part because of the rising price.
Something changed their minds. At an emergency meeting on Wednesday, called two weeks before the scheduled session at which a decision was expected, they agreed a cap for the life of the new TV deal.
It is short of what fans wanted. The Football Supporters Federation ran a "Twenty's Plenty" campaign, but they were not arguing over the extra £10.
The change will make a difference. Of the 57 "price points" for away fans across the league this season 48 cost more than £30.
Fans will feel the difference while clubs will barely notice the hit. The largest fall in revenue is estimated by sporting intelligence.com to be around £600,000 at Chelsea.
If clubs hope it will silence the fans they will be disappointed.
Pressure will now build around the price of home tickets, not least because visitors will now be paying substantially less than their hosts for the same seat.
This is a significant victory in a long-term pursuit of a fairer deal for match-going fans. And after this win, momentum may at last be with the supporters.
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