Manchester United have admitted they underestimated how many fans shared account details before launching their ticket touting investigation and that it has caused “distress” to some fans.
United began the process last month, having identified a number of accounts they said had activity which warranted further investigation.
According to the club, in one instance, 1,088 accounts had been accessed on a single device.
However, it soon became clear a number of genuine fans were left fearing they were going to have their season tickets confiscated without knowing why.
United defended their actions in private but, after a fans forum on 30 July in which concerns were outlined, have now accepted they made mistakes in how they chose to execute their investigation.
“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., external
“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 say a “satisfactory explanation” has been provided in a “substantial number of cases” and that restrictions had been removed from those accounts.
The club have assured supporters season tickets will only be confiscated in “cases where evidence indicates organised touting, systematic misuse or activity for financial gain”.
They also feel the underlying reasons for their investigation were valid, due to a growing touting issue which, they say, deprives supporters of the opportunity to buy tickets.
“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,” United said. “We believe this is something we are all aligned on.
“One example has uncovered 1,088 accounts accessed on a single device.
“However, we recognise the way this process was communicated, and the impact it has had on some loyal match going supporters, has caused genuine upset and distress.”