How Manchester United are trying to tackle touts

"Club officials say it has led to intimidation and threats against staff. Stories have been recounted of fans left in tears after discovering the seats they have bought for games at Old Trafford do not exist, having been sold by touts, sometimes multiple times. For the Premier League game at Liverpool, it was discovered someone paid 900 for a ticket in the away section. The resale of tickets is illegal in the UK but the same legislation does not apply to companies abroad."

"The club is trying several approaches to combat the problem but their powers are limited and accept there are times when it appears the people they are trying to stop are one step ahead. Additionally, as they have discovered, some of the actions they do take are met with fierce resistance from their own supporters. Speaking to United staff earlier this month, the scale of the problem was laid bare."

"Now trading is done on Facebook or on WhatsApp groups and in a way that makes formal identification hard or impossible. Infiltration is incredibly difficult. In the minutes of October's Fans Forum meeting, United said 2,000 tickets for the Premier League game with Chelsea on 20 September were "successfully reclaimed" and "over 4,500 active users were blocked" from buying tickets. The club believes the use of bots to purchase huge number of tickets under assumed names is the major problem."

Ticket touting at Manchester United has produced intimidation and threats against staff and left fans without seats they had bought. Some supporters found seats sold multiple times and one person reportedly paid 900 for an away ticket at Liverpool. Resale is illegal in the UK but legislation does not bind companies abroad, enabling cross-border resale. Touting has shifted from matchday sellers around Sir Matt Busby Way to Facebook and WhatsApp groups, complicating identification. The club reports bots buying large quantities under assumed names, blocked over 4,500 users, and estimates 10–15% of season tickets are controlled by touts. Digital delivery removes address requirements, aiding resale.

Read at www.bbc.com