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Liverpool FC and Merseyside police have jointly undertaken a significant operation targeting ticket touting, resulting in the seizure of over £1.2 million in assets and the issuance of 432 lifetime bans. This collaboration marks the Premier League’s first formal partnership between a football club and its local police service aimed at tackling the illegal resale of tickets. During the campaign, Liverpool’s investigations team teamed up with Merseyside’s economic crime unit to scrutinize nearly 700,000 ticket registrations from last season, focusing on the financial crimes linked to unlawful ticket sales.
The combined efforts yielded the confiscation of assets connected to organised ticket touting valued at £1.2 million, with several cases prosecuted under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Among these, two individuals have already been convicted, and another is scheduled to appear in court shortly. The money collected through asset seizures will be divided between Merseyside police and the Home Office, reflecting the shared commitment to curbing illegal practices around matchday ticket sales.
In terms of preventative actions, Liverpool FC took decisive steps by cancelling or blocking 67,663 accounts suspected of selling tickets fraudulently last season. Additionally, 121,379 accounts remain under review for potential wrongdoing. The club has enforced 432 lifetime bans, as well as 115 indefinite suspensions, the latter generally requiring fans to wait around three years before applying for reinstatement. The majority of these sanctions were handed out for the unauthorised sale of season, membership, or hospitality tickets. Other bans were issued in response to offences including racist and homophobic abuse, inappropriate touching or language, assault, and chanting of offensive slogans.
Investigations extended beyond online monitoring, with joint patrols conducted by Liverpool FC and police on match days around Anfield. These operations led to a 33% increase in the identification or confiscation of burner phones, commonly used by touts to evade detection. Detective Chief Inspector Nick Suffield of Merseyside police’s economic crime team emphasised the ongoing commitment to protecting genuine supporters: “We will always take action to protect genuine fans who fall victim to touts when all they are trying to do is simply purchase tickets to support their team.” He added, “Our activities to target touts operating both online and on match days will continue and we work closely with supporters and clubs to keep identifying ticket touts and doing all we can to prevent them taking advantage of supporters and spoiling people’s experience of football and the city.” He also warned fans against purchasing tickets from touts, highlighting the financial risks and the possibility of being denied entry without compensation
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