Manchester United admit errors in ticket touting investigation

Manchester United F.C. have acknowledged mistakes in the way they conducted an investigation into suspected ticket touting after some genuine supporters feared they could lose their season tickets.

The club launched the investigation last month after identifying a number of supporter accounts it believed showed activity warranting further scrutiny.

Manchester United said one case involved 1,088 supporter accounts being accessed from a single device, raising concerns about organised ticket touting.

However, following complaints from supporters and discussions at a fans’ forum on 30 July, the club admitted it had underestimated how commonly fans shared account login details with family and friends for legitimate reasons.

In a statement, United said the process “may have caused distress for some loyal supporters”, adding that some fans may have felt they had been treated unfairly.

“We recognise that many supporters have shared account login details in circumstances they regarded as legitimate, and we did not anticipate the extent to which this was occurring,” the club said.

United said a “satisfactory explanation” had now been provided in a substantial number of cases and that restrictions placed on those accounts had been lifted.

The club also sought to reassure supporters that season tickets would only be withdrawn where there was evidence of organised ticket touting, systematic misuse or activity intended for financial gain.

Despite acknowledging shortcomings in the process, United defended the investigation itself, saying it had uncovered significant organised touting that deprived genuine supporters of the opportunity to buy tickets.

“There is no doubt at all this process has uncovered significant and organised touting which will enable us to remove tickets from touts and place them back in the hands of genuine fans,” the club said.

The club added that while the investigation had revealed serious misuse, it accepted that the way it communicated the process had caused “genuine upset and distress” to some loyal match-going supporters.