An internet site co-owned by is concerned within the “unauthorised” resale of tickets to Chelsea matches and different Premier League video games to international vacationers, Telegraph Sport can reveal.
Vivid Seats, a US-based on-line market of which Boehly is each an investor and director, doesn’t permit followers primarily based in Britain to purchase or promote tickets – a follow which might be unlawful.
It does, nevertheless, allow foreign-based customers to tout tickets for as much as tens of hundreds of kilos, on which it prices 10 per cent fee and a service charge reported to run from 20 to 40 per cent of the unique ticket value.
That raises the prospect of co-owner Boehly taking advantage of a follow his personal membership has repeatedly denounced.
Vivid Seats is on the Premier League’s record of “unauthorised ticketing web sites” and final 12 months Chelsea mentioned by itself web site: “Chelsea FC is dedicated to tackling ticket touting, for each residence and away matches. We establish people who fraudulently harvest tickets/memberships to promote at vastly inflated costs, examine each on-line and offline unlawful ticket gross sales, and use a spread of ways and enforcement measures that assist to fight ticket touting.”
Vivid Seats’ web site states that to promote a ticket on its platform, “The occasion should happen in the USA”, and, “You need to reside in the USA”, and it refused to reply questions as to the way it was itemizing Premier League matches.
The Premier League’s web site urges followers to “train excessive warning” when coping with “unauthorised ticketing web sites” with the specter of anybody who buys by one being denied entry to a recreation or being duped by counterfeiters.
‘Hypocritical at greatest – dishonest at worst’
Boehly’s involvement has provoked fury amongst Chelsea supporters, one in every of whom informed Telegraph Sport: “The truth that our proprietor may very well be benefiting personally on the expense of loyal supporters is hypocritical at greatest and downright dishonest at worst.
“Touting is a big problem at Chelsea for the time being and it’s getting worse. There are fewer and fewer tickets accessible for supporters on a normal admission, match-by-match foundation.”
Telegraph Sport discovered tickets being marketed on Vivid Seats for what look like the remaining matches this season of each Premier League membership.
On Monday, tickets on the location for present leaders Liverpool’s final-day recreation towards Crystal Palace – once they may very well be offered with the Premier League trophy – had been priced between £1,622 and £17,672.
Chelsea have warned their followers towards shopping for tickets from secondary platforms – PA/Zac Goodwin
Chelsea’s web site, in the meantime, additionally said final 12 months: “Supporters discovered to be promoting their ticket for greater than face worth might be topic to a membership investigation and sanctions, together with the elimination of season tickets, memberships and entry to the away match ticket scheme.
“This sadly happens extra usually than you’d anticipate, and the membership has been compelled to ban many members and season ticket holders. In some circumstances, the matter might be reported to the police for legal prosecution.
“As is the case for a lot of Premier League golf equipment, there are refined legal operations concentrating on Chelsea, making huge income by way of secondary ticket platforms. Most of the web sites that publicize and promote tickets on-line should not throughout the jurisdiction of UK regulation. This implies, whereas we report these websites once we see Chelsea tickets on them, there may be little we are able to do to close down the websites, or assist supporters who’re denied entry to our stadium as a result of they’ve bought a re-sold or counterfeit ticket from one in every of these web sites.
“Shopping for tickets from unofficial retailers runs a really excessive threat of paying closely inflated costs, receiving counterfeit or duplicated tickets, and in the end being denied entry to the match.
“The one place to buy normal admission tickets is by way of official Chelsea FC channels, together with the membership web site and ticket change. Ticket holders can solely switch a ticket to a good friend or member of the family for not more than face worth.”
‘Respectable and dependable market’
The resale of soccer tickets was made a legal offence within the UK within the wake of the Hillsborough catastrophe and the proliferation of foreign-based web sites promoting them raises questions on whether or not the regulation is match for objective.
Telegraph Sport was unable to purchase or record a Premier League ticket on Vivid Seats utilizing a UK IP (Web Protocol) deal with and bank card when trying to take action.
Vivid Seats says by itself web site: “Vivid Seats is a official and dependable ticket market for EPL tickets. Vivid Seats is accredited by the Higher Enterprise Bureau (BBB) with an A+ ranking, has over 1,000,000 5-star critiques on ShopperApproved, a 4.1-star ranking on Trustpilot, and a 4.7-star ranking on the Apple Retailer app. We’ve got a Purchaser Assure that’s designed to offer full peace of thoughts, security, and safety for our valued prospects.”
Requests for remark by Boehly prompted an announcement from the corporate which learn: “As a worldwide enterprise, we’re at all times respectful and cognisant of native regulatory insurance policies and procedures which are in place in any market to make sure we’re compliant.
“As such, our coverage restricts the sale of EPL tickets from UK sellers. We are able to verify that we don’t have any UK sellers itemizing EPL stock on our market. Moreover, Vivid Seats doesn’t and has by no means immediately marketed or marketed Premier League tickets to UK prospects.
“Vivid Seats and Chelsea have a longstanding and respectful partnership, which was publicly introduced in 2023, the place we partnered with Chelsea on their first-ever Premier League pre-season match within the USA.
“Relating to pricing, Vivid Seats doesn’t set the bottom value for tickets bought on its market or obtain any income from that base value; solely the vendor units and receives the bottom ticket value.”
The Premier League and Chelsea didn’t remark.
