A BBC Sport investigation has uncovered a widespread black market for Premier League tickets, with overseas companies selling them at vastly inflated prices.
The report found that firms based in places like Spain, Dubai, and Switzerland are using software to buy tickets in bulk from clubs’ official websites.
Despite being on the Premier League’s “unauthorised list,” these sites are easily accessible, and BBC journalists were able to buy tickets for four recent matches.
The tickets, which cost two to four times their face value, successfully granted entry to the games, even a sold-out Manchester derby.
The practice is so extensive that for one match alone, over 18,000 tickets were advertised on just four websites.
This has led to frustration for fans, who find it increasingly difficult to get tickets through official channels. The investigation also raised safety concerns, as the black market undermines the segregation of rival fans.
Some clubs have taken action, with Arsenal cancelling 74,000 accounts and Chelsea blocking 350,000 “bot purchases,” but only a handful of arrests have been made.
The Football Supporters’ Association has called for more to be done to close the legal loopholes that allow these overseas companies to operate.
