A Manchester United fan has fumed he's been made to 'feel like a criminal' after Manchester City noticed his email address and cancelled his tickets to watch the Champions League tie away at Real Madrid
11:24, 10 Mar 2026
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 17: Half and half Manchester United v Manchester City scarves being sold at a merchandise stall ahead of the Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford on January 17, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
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A Manchester United fan had his Manchester City tickets cancelled(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA, Getty Images)
A Manchester United supporter claims he's been made to feel 'like a criminal' after officials at Manchester City barred him from watching the Blues as a 'neutral' fan - and revoked his ticket to see Pep Guardiola's side face Real Madrid.
Lewis Barlow, 21, a forklift truck operator, spent nearly £600 on flights, accommodation and a ticket for City's match against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Spanish capital on Wednesday evening.
However, just days before the game, his ticket and membership were cancelled when a City official noticed that 'manchesterunited' was part of his email address. A subsequent examination of his social media accounts revealed that he is a dedicated Red, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, celebrates the 1-3 win with the traveling fans during the Emirates FA Cup 5th Round match between Newcastle United and Manchester City at St. James's Park in Newcastle, United Kingdom, on March 7, 2026. (Photo by Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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The United fan wanted to watch Pep Guardiola's side away in Europe(Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Lewis followed the majority of his family in becoming a Manchester United supporter and has attended every home match at Old Trafford for the past two seasons. But his younger brother Kyle, 18, along with some of his mates are City supporters - and so to accompany his friends and his sibling, he's also been attending matches at the Etihad to watch the Blues, he says.
This season he claims he has attended 10 fixtures at the Etihad, the most recent being last week when, rather than watching his cherished United at Newcastle on television, he was at the Etihad to witness the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. He states he's been visiting the Etihad for a decade to watch the Blues.
In November he successfully applied for and bought a £35 Man City membership to simplify getting tickets. The club didn't appear to spot that he applied using an email address which contained the phrase 'manchesterunited'.
However, his membership and his ticket for the upcoming Champions League fixture at Real Madrid were abruptly cancelled last week following a phone call from City asking whether he was indeed a Red. When he replied 'yes', his membership was swiftly terminated and the forthcoming ticket was cancelled.
MADRID, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 18: Aerial view of the Santiago Bernabeu stadium the Primera Liga match between Real Madrid and Racing Santander on November 18, 2006 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
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This view awaits Manchester City fans on Wednesday(Image: Denis Doyle, Getty Images)
An email to Lewis' 'manchesterunited' account from a ticket compliance manager stated: "Further to the call earlier, as a Manchester United fan, you cannot have a ticketing account that would allow access to tickets in the Manchester City section of any stadium.
"As stated during the purchase journey for the Real Madrid away fixture, all tickets are sold subject to availability and are issued subject to the General Tickets Terms and Conditions - Manchester City F.C.
"By purchasing tickets in the Manchester City section, you are confirming you are either a fan of the club (Manchester City) or a neutral supporter. A Manchester United fan, arguably the biggest rival of Manchester City, is not a neutral supporter.
"Being a Manchester United supporter, with access to home tickets, means there is a very high risk you could be in attendance when the two teams play each other, in the Manchester City section. As a result of this information coming to light, we have cancelled your future tickets, and restricted your ticketing account. We have also refunded your membership as it was only bought recently."
In its terms and conditions for applying for away tickets the club states it 'may offer tickets for sale to fans of the club and neutral fans only', noting: "By applying to purchase one or a number of tickets, you hereby warrant and represent that you are a fan of the club or a neutral fan and not a fan of the opposing club."
Club officials maintain they hold 'full discretion' when allocating tickets. Lewis maintains he was never a supporter of the opposing club each time he visited the Etihad and isn't a fan of Real Madrid either.
He said: "Most of my family are United fans. I've never missed a home game for the last two seasons. But my brother is a City fan and my auntie is a City fan. My mates are City fans. So I go to City. It gets me out. I've been to quite a few games this season.
"I just do it to get out with my mates. When I go to United, my mates aren't there. I'm on my own. I go with my mum sometimes but the majority of time I'm on my own.
"Every time I've been to City, I've never caused any issues or anything. I don't do anything negative. I'm just there to have a good time with my mates. I would understand if I caused issues but I never have."
When asked what his reaction is when City score a goal, he said: "Stand up and clap. To be fair, I actually want City to win the league because I don't want Arsenal to win. For the past few weeks I've been supporting City. I really don't like Arsenal."
He added: "I think it's discrimination. They think I'm going to cause havoc which is never the situation. I'm with all my City fan mates. Why would I cause trouble. I'm surrounded by City fans. Why on earth would I cause issues. I'm literally going to have a good time."
He described the City official who called him as having 'spoken to me like I was a criminal'. "It was like I had broken the law. At first I thought it was a prank call from one of my mates," said Lewis.
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Regarding City's terms and conditions, he stated that 'there's nothing about being a United fan means you can't go'. Lewis urged the club to reinstate his membership, saying: "They have literally said I can't go to their stadium again. I've done nothing wrong."
The MEN reports it's understood that club officials believe Lewis has violated the club's ticketing terms and conditions, given he cannot be considered a neutral fan, and acted to ensure safety at matches. Officials are also eager to ensure City fans have priority, particularly for high-profile fixtures.