Manchester United have admitted causing "distress" to fans by launching an investigation into how season ticket account details are used, leaving long-time and genuine supporters fearing they could lose their tickets.
The Premier League giants began the process last month after identifying a number of accounts which they claim had activity that warranted further investigation. Red flags were raised when United clocked that, in one instance, 1,088 accounts had been accessed on a single device, according to the club, who have continued to defend their actions in private.
Fan fears and club's admission
But a host of genuine fans were left fearful that their season tickets would be confiscated without knowing the reasons, and in a fans forum on July 30 those emotions were laid bare. United have now accepted they made mistakes in how they chose to execute their investigation.
The club said in a statement: "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."
"We recognise that many supporters have shared account login details in circumstances they regarded as legitimate, and we did not anticipate the extent to which this was occurring."
Investigation's purpose and next steps
United say a "satisfactory explanation" has been provided in a "substantial number of cases" with those individuals seeing any restrictions removed from their accounts. The club also believe the reasons for their investigation were valid amid a growing touting issue which, they say, deprives supporters of the opportunity to buy tickets. They have also maintained that any season tickets which are confiscated will be repurposed as season tickets - not sold as corporate hospitality packages.
United added: "There is no doubt at all this process has uncovered significant and organised touting which will enable us to remove tickets from touts and place them back in the hands of genuine fans. We believe this is something we are all aligned on."
The way in which United have treated their season ticket holders has come in for criticism. Last season, the club moved 500 season ticket holders from seats they had used for years in order to accommodate an increase in hospitality tickets.
