old trafford
old trafford
August 5 – Manchester United have admitted they underestimated how many supporters share account details, conceding their ticket touting investigation caused genuine “distress” to some fans.
The club began the process last month after identifying accounts with activity it felt warranted scrutiny. In one striking example, 1,088 accounts had been accessed on a single device. The problem was that a number of genuine fans were left fearing they would lose their season tickets without understanding why.
United initially defended their approach in private, but after a fan’s forum on July 30, they have accepted they got the execution wrong.
“Manchester United accepts that the process may have caused distress for some loyal supporters, underestimated how common sharing account usernames and passwords was, and recognises that some fans may have felt they were being treated unfairly,” the club said. “We did not anticipate the extent to which this was occurring.”
The threshold used was seven or more accounts accessed from a single device between March and June 2026. The club says the average ticket holder uses 1.2.
Many supporters, United acknowledged, shared access for practical reasons, helping friends and family manage tickets, though the club warns that handing over full account access carries real security risks.
United insist the underlying aim was genuine, pointing to a growing touting problem that robs fans of tickets. “There is no doubt at all this process has uncovered significant and organised touting,” the club said, while adding the communication “has caused genuine upset and distress.”
Restrictions have been lifted where a satisfactory explanation was given, and confiscations will apply only to organised touting.
Contact the writer of this story at nick.webster@insideworldfootball.com