Porto have dismantled one of the largest ticket-scalping networks uncovered in football, reclaiming hundreds of seats at the Estádio do Dragão that had been exploited for profit on the illegal resale market. The operation was earning its ringleaders tens of thousands of euros per match.
The club said one alleged ringleader convinced dozens of people to hand over personal details, which he used to register them as club members and purchase season tickets in their names. “These schemes reached an impressive scale, with dozens of seats controlled by a single individual,” Porto said. “We also identified businesses processing hundreds of transactions, serving as fronts for this unlawful activity.”
Tourists were the primary targets, with some tickets sold for as much as €800 (£695). The club also detected fake tickets being sold at inflated prices. The investigation is ongoing and the tally of reclaimed seats could rise.
The Guardian was alerted to the scalping operation after Porto’s season opener against Vitória Guimarães on 11 August, when two Danish tourists reported paying €200 each for tickets purchased through online resale platforms, one of which was a season-ticket QR code. The club later coordinated with police to crack down on the network.
Ticket scalping has been commonplace at Porto for years. Under new president André Villas-Boas, the club revoked privileges from ultras, switched to a fully online ticketing system, and began monitoring digital platforms and messaging apps for resale activity. The Portuguese police have added this crackdown to a broader investigation into ticketing schemes run by ultras.
Martha Gens of the Portuguese supporters’ association APDA said: “We’re talking about a country where the minimum wage isn’t even €1,000. We believe there should be legal caps on ticket prices. Ticket-scalping is a crime in Portugal – we should enforce it.”
