'They want us gone' - Man Utd fans' fury over ticket ultimatum

Manchester United fans have reacted with fury after "thousands" had their season-ticket accounts restricted.

The action follows an attempt by United to identify potential ticket touts and those breaking the club's ticketing terms and conditions.

But supporters have told BBC Sport that those who have been informed their season tickets are now at risk of being revoked include many of the club's most loyal followers, and insist that the majority have done nothing wrong.

"I feel angry about it - they just want us gone," Andy, a season ticket holder for more than 35 years, who was informed his account has been restricted on Monday night, told BBC Sport.

"My dad has been a season-ticket holder since 1974, when we were in the second division. He is a pensioner now and I have to help him with all the online stuff since digital tickets became a thing.

"Going the match is our bond. Things like that are what keep older people alive sometimes.

"It's stressful enough for my own mental health but I think it could make my dad ill."

Manchester United declined to comment on the process or fan reaction when asked to do so.

In one email sent to a supporter, seen by BBC Sport, Manchester United said: "We have identified patterns linked to your ticketing account that we need to understand more clearly.

"We need to establish whether there is a straightforward explanation for the activity identified."

As it stands, those under suspicion have had restrictions placed their online accounts, preventing them from buying and transferring tickets.

Those whose accounts have been flagged have been asked to submit evidence to the club to defend themselves if they feel they have been wrongly accused.

United have not revoked any tickets so far and an appeals panel will make a final decision on each case before their Premier League season begins on 22 August.

But supporters such as Andy say they have not been told explicitly what they are being accused of, that the lack of information feels like they are being invited to incriminate themselves, and that the confusion is causing significant anxiety.

"They have already taken my season ticket money," Andy says.

"They don't care about how it affects people, their relationships, maybe their health and mental health. There is no empathy.

"I feel like people are punished for their loyalty. They don't want fans, they want customers."

In a social media post, Manchester United Supporters' Trust said the club has "been sending out account suspensions and season-ticket cancellation notices to thousands of supporters".

"We have been overwhelmed with requests for help [and] have sent out individual advice to hundreds," the trust added.

"Clearly the scale of this has caused huge concern among fans.

"We are increasingly concerned that the current approach risks causing significant unintended consequences."

Physical season tickets are a thing of the past in the Premier League.

Clubs now use digital systems where fans download tickets to their phones. The change has been accompanied at many clubs by stricter rules on how, and how often, ticket holders can transfer their tickets to other people.

At Manchester United, for example, fans can have their season ticket revoked if they do not attend or forward their ticket to approved friends and family members for at least 16 out of 19 Premier League fixtures.

Last season, the club moved 500 season ticket holders from seats they had used for years in order to accommodate an increase in hospitality tickets.

The Red Devils have made sweeping cuts to their workforce since the partial takeover by Ineos in 2024, including those working in ticketing.

The method of identifying suspicious accounts United have employed uses third-party software and is largely automated.

In a message sent to the club fans' forum last week, after the first restrictions were sent out to supporters, United defended their approach and insisted the vast majority of those facing potential sanctions have misbehaved.

"Our recent operation focused on instances where multiple accounts displayed patterns of activity indicating they may have been centrally controlled, coordinated by the same individual, or operated using automated software," they said.

"We are confident that the vast majority of accounts identified for misuse have been correctly flagged with the appropriate action taken."

United conducted a crackdown on touting last season, cancelling 22,000 tickets for the first five home games of the season.

They regard that figure as "the tip of the iceberg" and believe around 10-15% of season tickets are controlled by touts.

"Every single one of our members with a season ticket has had the email," says the secretary of a United supporters' club in Northern Ireland - a fan for more than 50 years, who asked not to be named.

"If one of our members can't go to a game for some reason, they'll usually offer it to another member and lots of our accounts are linked together. Everything is fair and done for face value. But the club don't seem to understand that, or want to understand it.

"It's just so disappointing. Everybody is really angry."

Fans told BBC Sport they believe some of Manchester United's most loyal matchgoers have been erroneously targeted because they are more likely to ask friends or family members to log in to their account, for example to purchase tickets for away matches as a group or for help when busy with work or childcare, which they say the club is conflating with touting.

"It feels like you're not allowed to help your mates out and pass your ticket on to them, because the club will accuse you of touting," Andy says.

"But you can sell your ticket back to them and they'll sell it to someone else at a much higher price than you paid by adding on some free drinks or food.

"It's all wrong."

Touting - illegally reselling match tickets at an inflated price - is a widespread issue in the Premier League.

Last season, BBC Sport exposed the black market of top-flight tickets available for resale online, which circumvent UK laws against ticket touting by being based abroad.

Manchester United insist that revoked season tickets will be repurposed as new ones for supporters on the waiting list.

But some fans believe that clubs - particularly the wealthiest - want fewer season-ticket holders in their stadiums, because selling seats for matches on an individual basis generates more revenue per ticket.

In theory, fans who are tourists visiting infrequently are more likely to spend money in the stadium and in club stores than regulars who attend every match.

The number of season-ticket holders at Old Trafford has dropped from 64,000 in 2006 to 46,800 in 2026.

"Season ticket rules are definitely a concern," says Thomas Concannon, Premier League network manager at the Football Supporters' Association.

"We've all benefited from passing a ticket on to a mate for face value, and fans worry that even something like that is now deemed against the rules. We need a proper consensus on the rules across all clubs.

"Taking a season ticket away harms the atmosphere and means you're losing that fan for life.

"We stand behind protecting season-ticket holders and having as many of them as possible."