Man Utd are moving a large group of season ticket holders from seats near the dugout so that they can sell them as high-price hospitality tickets instead.
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Old Trafford dugouts
Manchester United season ticket holders near to the home and away dugouts are to be moved for 2025/26
Dozens of long-serving Manchester United season-ticket holders could be forced to give up their seats at Old Trafford after being told they were being moved from their current location - so those tickets can be sold on as "high value" hospitality seats.
In confirming a series of controversial ticketing measures earlier this week, Manchester United also revealed that general admission tickets near the home and away dugouts in the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand would be converted into hospitality seats, forcing season-ticket holders in that location to be moved.
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Supporters only found out about that plan with a short message from the club on Monday and have yet to hear any details about where they will be moved to. However, the decision has gone down badly amongst the regulars in that area.
The Manchester Evening News has been told of one supporter in his 60s who has struggled to sleep since being informed he would be required to move, while another in his 80s is expecting to have to give up his season ticket due to concerns over access.
That is a scenario many of the affected supporters face. The seats are near the pitch and offer easy access in and out of the stadium, and they were also one of the areas first to see season tickets introduced at Old Trafford. That means many of those who will be moved are now senior citizens who cherish the seats for the ease of mobility. Many are also being hit the double whammy of being moved while the long-standing 50% discount for their ticket is removed.
One season ticket holder of 40 years, who has tickets with his family and didn't wish to be named while in the process of being moved, said: "The people who are in the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand are the people who've been season ticket holders and supporting the club the longest.
"There's been several clips on social media about people talking about having had those season tickets for over 50 years. I’ve had mine for 40. So you're attacking the people who've supported the club through some very thin times over the years, and they're the people who will continue to bring in the next generation of support.
"With a flimsy email, with no consultation or discussion, tell them you're off and at the moment we can't actually tell you where you're going is really bad. We've had contact with a number of people who are thinking if that's the way it is, I think the love affair’s over, unfortunately."
One affected season ticket holder took his complaints to the ticket office in person on Tuesday and was told around 500 supporters were affected. Those complaints have been followed up on via email, but he has yet to receive a response from United.
"I spoke to a guy who sits behind me; he's in his 60s, and he hadn't slept for two nights," the same supporter said. "It's a big part of people's lives. They're taking their partners, their families and generation after generation, and to whip it away like that, it's pretty awful.
"Physically, it’s just a nice position for that age generation. The deed is done, they're not going to change the decision but I think it needs to be exposed how bad this is. This is attacking the people who have been with the club for the longest.
"What was really poor was that when we got the email on Monday evening, it was almost like a throwaway line where ‘Oh by the way, we're actually gonna be moving you and we'll be in touch in a few weeks’, which is really poor. It just lacks class, if it was going to happen, you'd have thought there would have been a little bit of warning and consultation.
"I'd envisaged this was going to happen in the new stadium because clubs like Chelsea have introduced this type of idea of a premium experience behind a bench. I thought well, at least we've got a few years to enjoy it."
The supporter in that area pointed out concerns around safety, with people in hospitality seats being sold further back regularly making their way towards the dugout now to try and get selfies.
"We've had a couple of pretty ugly scenes where this guy with his son just stood there and these people in our area, they want to watch the game," he said.
"We politely asked him to sit down and he went on and in the end he had to be marched out with 10 security guards."
The issue is one of several raised by Monday's announcement that season ticket prices would rise by 5% in 2025/26, with under-16s getting a price freeze. The 50% discount for some senior season tickets was also reduced to 25%, while season ticket holders must now attend 16 of the 19 Premier League games, up from 15 previously.
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"I think the message for me is that senior season tickets can go because we don't really want you," said the supporter from the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand.
"And I think the very worrying thing is that if they're gonna do that to this particular group, well, it means that any season ticket holder, they can do it exactly what they want, whenever they want and they don't care. I think it's a really sad indictment of what's happening at the moment."