Manchester United have banned 685 season-ticket holders following an investigation into what the club identified as misuse of its ticketing system for financial gain.
A further 464 supporters have received either a reduced sanction or a final warning after United reviewed unusual activity across 1,617 ticketing accounts.
How the 1,617 accounts entered United’s review
The club contacted every account holder under investigation, allowing them to provide information and explain the activity that had been flagged.
United then examined those responses before deciding whether to maintain, reduce or remove the proposed sanctions.
In total, 468 cases were resolved after the explanations supplied by the relevant supporters were deemed satisfactory.
The process had already caused concern among parts of the fanbase, with the club accused of using aggressive language when outlining the possible consequences for season-ticket holders.
Sanction breakdown after appeals
The Athletic’s Ben Burrows and Laurie Whitwell report that 499 cases were upheld following an appeal, while bans in another 73 cases were not appealed.
A further 113 season tickets were banned after repeated requests for information received no response from the account holders.
Final warnings were issued to 226 accounts. Another 238 supporters had an initial ban reduced to restrictions on home-ticket forwarding and applications for away matches.
United said: “Bans were issued where there was significant misuse of the ticketing system for financial gain. This included the operation of organised ticketing networks, which were controlling, selling and distributing tickets from hundreds of accounts.”
The club added: “These actions undermine fair access to tickets for genuine supporters and have no place at Manchester United.”
Released tickets, refunds, supporter response
United intend to return the affected season tickets to circulation rather than leave the seats unavailable at Old Trafford.
Every season ticket released through the investigation will be offered to supporters on the club’s waiting list. Refunds have also been issued, or will be issued, to the banned holders.
Leading fan group The 1958 announced plans for a protest before Sunday’s derby against Manchester City, taking a stand against the sanctions imposed through the review.
Separately, supporters expressed anger over text messages requiring certain season-ticket holders to pay to attend Thursday’s Champions League opener against Sabah or lose their seat for a future Premier League match.
The bans now bring clarity to the club’s investigation, but the planned protest means the wider dispute over United’s ticketing policies is unlikely to disappear before the planned protest on Sunday.
Final Thoughts
- United have banned 685 season-ticket holders.
- Another 464 accounts received reduced sanctions or final warnings.
- The review initially covered 1,617 ticketing accounts.
- Released season tickets will be offered to fans on the waiting list.
Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images
