September 26 – Premier League front runners Liverpool have stepped up their fight against ticket touting, issuing more than 1,100 lifetime bans last season as part of an unprecedented campaign to protect supporters.
That figure, released by the club on Thursday, represents a sharp rise from just 75 the year before and highlights how seriously the club is treating the issue.
Almost half of the sanctions were linked to large-scale attempts to manipulate software in order to bulk-buy tickets, while many others came from the unauthorised resale of season tickets, memberships and hospitality packages.
Investigators closed 162 social media groups, followed by more than a million members, that were advertising fake or significantly overpriced tickets.
The club say that a further 45,000 fraudulent accounts were shut down – fewer than the 100,000 removed the previous year – a drop the club attributes to new security tools such as multi-factor authentication and advanced fraud detection kicking in.
Matchday security has also gone up a gear. Nearly 500 people were turned away at the turnstiles last season after trying to enter the stadium using burner phones, while close to 400 targeted checks were carried out on accounts flagged for unusual activity.
The club have reminded fans that anyone found inside Anfield with tickets not bought through official channels will be ejected. In its investigation, Liverpool calculated an estimate that nine out of ten tickets advertised on resale sites are either counterfeit or sold multiple times.
Each flagged case gets reviewed by an official sanctions panel, which includes an independent supporter representative – dishing out punishments ranging from indefinite suspensions to permanent bans.
The club insisted it will keep tightening its processes to make sure access to matches remains fair and safe for genuine fans.
On the pitch, Arne Slot’s side travel to face Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon. As the only two unbeaten sides left in the competition, the Community Shield rematch should provide a stern test for Liverpool who, despite winning five from five, have still looked far from their best to open the season.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [email protected]