Man Utd ban hundreds of season-ticket holders as club defends crackdown on organised touting

Manchester United have defended their controversial season-ticket crackdown after revoking 685 accounts as part of an investigation into organised ticket touting at Old Trafford.

The club insists the action has broken up networks exploiting hundreds of accounts, although supporters remain angry over how innocent fans may have been caught up in the process.

Man Utd release statement after banning 685 season tickets

United confirmed in a statement that 685 season-ticket accounts had received bans following an investigation into “unusual activity” on the club’s ticketing platform between March and June.

A further 464 supporters received reduced penalties or final warnings, while 1,617 accounts were initially identified as requiring additional examination. United said 499 bans were upheld by an independent appeals board, 113 people failed to respond to requests for information and 73 did not appeal.

The Red Devils said the bans were issued where there was “significant misuse” of the ticketing system for financial gain, including organised networks controlling, selling and distributing tickets through hundreds of accounts.

All season tickets recovered through the process will now be offered to supporters on the waiting list.

United acknowledged that the investigation had caused “significant concern and distress” for some supporters and admitted it had underestimated how commonly fans shared account usernames and passwords.

Fan group The 1958 has called for supporters to “stand united” against what it described as a season-ticket ban “fiasco”, arguing that clear evidence has not always been presented.

FGG says: Man Utd are right to tackle organised touting but supporters need transparency

There is nothing wrong with United going after organised ticket touting.

Genuine supporters should not be losing access to tickets because networks are exploiting the system for financial gain, and the club is right to protect fair access.

However, the scale of the crackdown means United also have a responsibility to make sure all supporters have been treated fairly.

The club admitting it underestimated password sharing shows just how important it is to distinguish genuine fans from deliberate touting.