Football Not Part Of Government Ticket Crackdown

The authorities has announced legislation to outlaw nan waste of tickets to sports events astatine inflated prices - but it's not bully news for shot fans.

In September, a BBC investigation exposed a achromatic marketplace trading thousands of Premier League tickets astatine 2 to 4 times nan look value.

While nan caller rules will make it forbidden to resell tickets for sports events supra nan original cost, they will not screen shot matches.

Football summons income successful nan UK are covered by existing legislation.

The 1994 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act made it an offence to connection for waste tickets to a shot lucifer different than by nan organisers of nan game.

Only clubs, aliases organisers, are capable to resell tickets connected their ain platforms if, for instance, play summons holders are incapable to attend.

The Act was designed to screen anti-social behaviour, and pinch respect to shot was intended to trim nan consequence of unit and upset astatine matches.

This intends shot will not beryllium portion of nan caller authorities connected summons sales.

However, this applies only to tickets sold successful England and Wales.

The Premier League's "unauthorised" database of summons sellers contains much than 50 websites including Stubhub and Vivid Seats, where Chelsea proprietor Todd Boehly is simply a head and investor.

The companies operating nan achromatic marketplace resales are registered successful countries specified arsenic Spain, Dubai, Germany and Estonia.

They are capable to freely do this because nan Criminal Justice and Public Order Act only applies to a summons resale occurring wrong England and Wales - truthful they are untouchable.

BBC Sport looked astatine 4 sites connected nan database which listed tens of thousands of Premier League tickets.

For example, much than 18,000 tickets were advertised for Arsenal v Nottingham Forest unsocial - astir a 3rd of nan Emirates' capacity.

As portion of nan investigation we were capable to bargain tickets easy done nan achromatic marketplace for 4 games.

Prices ranged from £55 to £14,962, often acold exceeding look worth and usually including a important booking fee.

All our tickets were transferred digitally, successful 1 lawsuit connected nan greeting of nan game, and worked arsenic mobile passes.

The believe has been described arsenic "endemic" successful English football, but it's not going to beryllium stopped.

Wimbledon has secured an exemption for its debenture tickets, which supply a premium spot connected nan show courts for 5 years on pinch entree to exclusive restaurants and bars.

There are 3,770 seats which tin beryllium bought and sold via a trading level aliases privately.

This could beryllium affirmative news for Manchester United, who are considering selling spot licences to finance their projected caller £2bn stadium.

Seat licences spot fans salary a definite magnitude of money complete an extended play of clip to springiness them nan correct to bargain nan aforesaid spot arsenic a play ticket, and perchance waste it on.

While United's strategy would not beryllium precisely for illustration Wimbledon's debentures, nan value headdress successful nan caller authorities isn't designed to frighten improvement of nan UK's unrecorded events venues.

In circumstantial cases, venues should still beryllium capable to make secure, up-front gross that tin beryllium re-invested - specified arsenic done spot licences.