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Chelsea's ownership group has come under fresh scrutiny after a company linked to Clearlake Capital was found advertising Premier League tickets at significantly inflated prices.
The controversy has raised questions over the club's stance on ticket touting, particularly given its previous warnings to supporters about unauthorised resale platforms.
Chelsea company advertised Premier League resale tickets to UK supporters
According to an investigation by The Times, US-based website events365.com, part of the business empire of Chelsea owners Clearlake Capital, was offering tickets for Premier League matches to UK customers at several times their original value.
The website reportedly advertised tickets for fixtures involving 19 top-flight clubs, excluding Chelsea, with journalists purchasing one for almost four times its face value towards the end of last season.
Victory Live, the US-based company which owns events365.com, has Chelsea chairman Behdad Eghbali and fellow director James Pade among its directors.
The investigation also uncovered instructions telling customers to enter stadiums without seeking assistance from stewards and to claim tickets had been received from a friend if questioned.
The website is understood to have since blocked access to Premier League tickets, while neither Clearlake nor Chelsea have issued an official public response.
The reported position from the ownership group is that Eghbali, Pade and other directors were unaware tickets were being advertised to UK customers.
The controversy is particularly sensitive given Chelsea's own ticketing policy, which states that tickets become invalid if supporters pay above face value or purchase through unauthorised resale platforms.
A proposed Sporting Events Bill currently progressing through Parliament would also close the loophole allowing overseas-registered companies to sell football tickets to UK customers.
FGG says: Chelsea's ticketing stance faces an uncomfortable test
The allegations create an uncomfortable situation for Chelsea, particularly given the club's previous warnings about ticket touting and its threat to sanction supporters using unauthorised resale platforms.
Even if the directors involved were unaware of the activity, the association between the company and the ownership group raises legitimate questions about oversight and accountability.
Football supporters should not be expected to pay several times face value to attend matches, and clubs must apply their ticketing principles consistently.
Chelsea now need to provide clarity over the situation if they are to avoid further damaging trust with their own supporters.