Football: Black Market in English Premier League Tickets
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
It has been reported that a BBC investigation has revealed a black-market selling thousands of English Premier League club tickets.
The companies involved are based at several locations overseas and are believed to be using club memberships and computer software to obtain the tickets through their online ticket platforms.
The resale of tickets is illegal in the UK, and the tickets cost two to four times their face value.
The practice has been described as "endemic" in English football.
The findings have prompted calls for the clubs, the English Premier League and the government to do more to crackdown on this black market, particularly as the scale of it is making it more difficult for supporters to get tickets from official sources at their face value and also creating a potential safety threat to strict segregation rules.
The Premier League’s "unauthorised" list of ticket sellers contains more than 50 websites.
The Football Supporters' Association has described the BBC findings as "very concerning".
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘
