**Liverpool have issued over 400 life bans in a clampdown on ticket touting.**
A first-of-its-kind investigation between the Anfield club and Merseyside Police analysed nearly 700,000 ticket registrations last season over illicit ticket sales.
The outcome saw the force’s economic crime team detain over £1.2 million in assets related to organised ticket touts with a number of cases ongoing.
Suspected fake accounts which ran into 67,663 last season were either blocked or cancellled by the Reds while 121,379 remain under investigation.
The club issued 432 lifetime bans alongside 115 indefinite suspensions are in effect with account holders facing a three-year wait to apply for reinstatement.
Although most of the sanctions related to the unauthorised selling of tickets, a combined 21 were imposed due to a variety of inappropriate behaviours.
Three related to racist and homophobic abuse, 13 for inappropriate touching or language, four for assault and one for tragedy chanting.
Detective Chief Inspector Nick Suffield said: “We will always take action to protect genuine fans who fall victim to touts when all they are trying to do is simply purchase tickets to support their team.
“Our activities to target touts operating both online and on match days will continue and we work closely with supporters and clubs to keep identifying ticket touts and doing all we can to prevent them taking advantage of supporters and spoiling people’s experience of football and the city.
“Our advice to football supporters is clear: don’t buy from ticket touts. You will be taking a huge risk with a lot of money and may ultimately be refused entry to the match with no way of getting your money back.”