Manchester United have admitted they underestimated how many supporters shared account login details before launching their ticket touting investigation, acknowledging that the process caused distress to some genuine fans.
The club said many loyal supporters felt they had been treated unfairly after their accounts were flagged during the investigation, which began last month to tackle the growing problem of ticket touting.
Following a fans’ forum on July 30, where concerns were raised, United accepted they made mistakes in the way the investigation was carried out.
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“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 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.”
United said a “satisfactory explanation” had been provided in a substantial number of cases, leading to restrictions being removed from those accounts.
The club also assured supporters that season tickets would only be withdrawn where evidence showed organised touting, systematic misuse or activity for financial gain.
According to United, one investigation uncovered 1,088 accounts being accessed from a single device.
“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,” the club said.
“We believe this is something we are all aligned on.
“One example has uncovered 1,088 accounts accessed on a single device.”
Despite acknowledging shortcomings in the process, United insisted the investigation was necessary because ticket touting has increasingly prevented genuine supporters from purchasing match tickets.
The club said the review targeted accounts where seven or more accounts had been accessed from a single device between March and June 2026, noting that the average number of accounts accessed by regular ticket holders was 1.2.
“Many supporters told us this was done for practical reasons, including helping friends, family members or fellow supporters manage applications and tickets,” the club added.
“However, sharing full account access creates a number of risks. It removes control from the account holder, compromises account and data security, bypasses safeguards built into approved ticketing processes and can make it difficult for the club to understand who is controlling accounts and ultimately using tickets.”
United said the investigation remains ongoing and urged affected supporters to respond within the 14-day deadline.
The club also rejected claims that any confiscated season tickets would be converted into corporate hospitality packages, insisting that any withdrawn tickets would instead be reissued as season tickets for genuine supporters.
