Manchester United faces fan backlash over account lockouts and poor pre-season ticket sales

The fallout from Manchester United's season ticket controversy continues to escalate. In this incident, numerous fans found their accounts locked and unable to log in. The club's crackdown was initially aimed at bots and professional touts, but as reported earlier this week, many season ticket holders do log in and out of multiple accounts for various legitimate reasons, such as helping family and friends.

Many United fans are furious at the club's claim that "there is no ticketing process requiring fans to log into another person's account." One season ticket holder stated he regularly applies for away tickets on behalf of relatives and friends to spread out the chances of securing tickets, and all applications are genuine. Another fan chose to hold off submitting an appeal before the deadline, hoping for a satisfactory resolution first.

Previously, two fans successfully had their account bans overturned after proving they had only logged into the same account on different devices and provided their locations at the time. It is understood that a common trigger for the mass account suspensions was logging into more than one account on a single device, which the club deemed a "persistent violation." The Manchester United Supporters' Trust said they have been "inundated" with complaints from affected fans. Additionally, there is widespread concern among fans that the club will not issue refunds to those affected. Sources indicate that fan groups are privately lashing out at the club, and some senior figures within the club are now beginning to realize the severity of the harm they have caused to supporters.

Season Ticket Turmoil (Part 2): Poor Ticket Sales for Nordic Pre-Season Friendlies

Manchester United are facing difficulties selling tickets for their pre-season friendlies in Scandinavia. With the match against Rosenborg in Norway on Friday approaching, nearly 11,000 tickets remain unsold. The Lerkendal Stadion has a total capacity of 28,569, but just 24 hours before kick-off, 10,805 tickets are still available.

For this match, the highest-priced non-VIP ticket costs 1,495 Norwegian Krone (approx. £116.43), while the cheapest is 945 Krone (approx. £73.60). The decision to hold all four pre-season friendlies in Scandinavia has led to "tour fatigue" among fans, as this marks the fifth consecutive summer United have held pre-season training in the region.

Two years ago, United faced Rosenborg in Trondheim for their first pre-season game, losing 0-1. Then-manager Erik ten Hag heavily criticized the team's performance, fielding two completely different line-ups for each half. With United's squad still severely depleted, awaiting the return of players involved in the World Cup, Michael Carrick's squad for this match is largely the same as the one that lost 0-1 to Wrexham in Helsinki last week. Carrick is expected to again field two entirely different line-ups for each half against the most successful club in Norwegian history.

This is also the first time since 2002 that United have kept their entire pre-season tour in Europe (excluding the pandemic-affected summers of 2020 and 2021), having chosen to tour the United States for the previous three years. The club had received tour invitations from Asia but ultimately declined them. A source familiar with United's ticketing strategy described the unusual tour arrangement as a "reality check" for the club. The match against Wrexham in Helsinki last week attracted 20,069 fans, but United needed to sell 19,000 tickets to break even.

Given that United will face stronger opponents next month in Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Leeds United, and AC Milan, the first two Nordic friendlies are essentially only useful for providing players with game time and generating revenue for the club. Next week's friendly against Atletico Madrid in Stockholm still has tens of thousands of tickets available. The Strawberry Arena holds 50,000, but only 16 sections have sold out – last year, United drew 0-0 with Leeds United there. Ticket sales for the match against PSG in Gothenburg on August 8 are slightly better. United have not visited Gothenburg in a decade, and approximately 30,000 tickets have been sold for the 43,000-capacity Ullevi Stadium.

PSG's brand appeal, having reached consecutive Champions League finals, has naturally boosted sales, although their French World Cup players are unlikely to feature. The PSG vs. United friendly takes place just three weeks after the World Cup final and third-place match, meaning Dembélé, Barcola, Doué, and Fabián Ruiz are almost certain not to play. United will also face Leeds United at Croke Park in Dublin on August 12 and conclude their pre-season schedule against AC Milan, managed by Amorim, in Wrocław on August 15.

Source: The Sun International Football News

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