Manchester United accused of banning loyal fans to make space for big-spending tourists
Manchester United supporters have accused the club of attempting to force out season ticket holders in order to generate more revenue from tourists and corporates.
Season ticket holders of several decades started receiving emails – seen by Morning Wire – informing them their accounts had been restricted after the club identified activity “that may indicate” a breach of ticketing terms and conditions. They have been given until 27 July to provide explanations, including who accesses their account and photo ID.
One supporter, who asked not to be named for fear it could harm their chances of retaining their season ticket, said they submitted the requested information but were informed the club still considered them to be in breach.
“I’m still yet to understand what it is I’ve done wrong,” the fan said. “I’m in the dark. I’ve asked for evidence. I don’t understand why they can decide something without telling me what I’ve done. I have no idea what these allegations are so I can’t defend myself.
“It all comes down to money. They’ll probably sell this season ticket on as a hospitality package and make five times as much. They can deny it, but that’s what this is.”
Their account remains suspended pending an appeal. A Manchester United source insisted the crackdown is “absolutely not a revenue play at all – it’s a legitimate exercise to try to weed out touts and bot activity”.
Ticket touting is a growing problem, exacerbated by bots capable of controlling multiple accounts and purchasing tickets faster than humans. The club are determined to take action.
In response to the alarm, United wrote to fans reassuring them that innocent supporters caught in the investigation would not face bans. The operation has focused on multiple accounts that appear to be controlled by one individual or operated using automated software.
Morning Wire is aware of several other supporters who are confused by the process and why they have been contacted. One pointed out that fans have long shared log-in details and created networks to apply for tickets for one another – without selling them on or misusing them – and believe they are being caught in the clampdown.
They claimed “it’s revenue driven” and added: “They don’t make as much money from season ticket holders. They’d rather sell tickets to a tourist or someone who comes two or three times a year. They’re involving innocent fans in this. They’re threatening to take season tickets away without any context.”
Is boxing sport… or entertainment?
That depends who you ask. Traditionalists argue boxing is one of the most brutal, demanding sports around but it is impossible to ignore the sport’s drift towards entertainment, with major fights increasingly built around influencers and ageing stars enticed back into the ring.
That entertainment value is said to be central to Saudi Arabia’s decision to continue investing. While the nation state has scaled back spending on other sports – including golf, tennis and snooker – boxing is seen as comparatively cheap and rich in Hollywood narratives.
Purses in the low eight figures are far cheaper than the billions required to fund other ventures such as the failed LIV Golf League, yet still generate global headlines.
Anthony Joshua’s fight against Kristian Prenga on Saturday, staged in Jeddah, underlines that commitment. Joshua’s survival of a car crash that killed two of his team members and the subsequent comeback is the sort of storyline that could easily be turned into a film.
Though how much entertainment the actual fight delivers remains to be seen. Prenga has 20 knockouts and one defeat, but at 35 has never been considered a serious heavyweight contender.
England’s World Cup tax boost
Not only did the Football Association’s decision to maintain a training base in Kansas City help England achieve their highest World Cup finish since 1966 – it could also increase how much Thomas Tuchel and his players take home.
Missouri’s state tax rate of 4.7 percent is considerably lower than many others. California’s stands at 13.3 percent, while New York’s is 10.9 percent.
England spent the majority of the tournament in Kansas City, flying out only for games – including the quarter-final against Mexico in Mexico City – and staying for the minimum period required.
“The IRS and state authorities will generally look at where income relates to services performed and tax that income in the jurisdiction where those services are carried out,” David Livitt, a Global Mobility Partner at Blick Rothenberg, told Morning Wire.
“Although Fifa has secured relief from federal income tax on certain tournament revenues, this does not provide a blanket exemption for individual players. Players may still face US federal income tax on US source compensation and, importantly, state income taxes. As a result, each state in which a player trains, competes, or performs other income generating activities may have the right to tax a proportion of that player’s income.”
Accountants will be kept extremely busy – especially Anthony Gordon’s. The winger, who joined Barcelona from Newcastle United for £69.3m before the tournament, may have to pay tax in England, Spain, the USA and Mexico this year.
Kick It Out goes global
Kick It Out is technically a UK-based charity focused on English football, but the anti-discrimination organisation surprisingly found itself inundated with requests from media across the globe during the World Cup.
It was a particularly contentious tournament, from Rafael van der Vaart’s racial slur about Japan and Sebastian Schwinsteiger describing African football as “wild” and “unorthodox”, to Somalian referee Omar Artan being barred from officiating and the treatment of Iran. It is understood that Kick It Out received requests from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the US and others.
AI could be partly responsible. Chatbots, increasingly used for search, surface sources in a different way to Google, and Kick It Out may be being promoted as a reliable, legitimate authority on anti-discrimination matters.