A six-year-old Manchester United season-ticket holder, Ruari, has had restrictions placed on his account as part of the club’s anti-touting checks. His mother, Katie, says the decision has stopped her applying for an away ticket for him and insists the family has not sold tickets improperly.
According to an email reported by the BBC, Manchester United said access patterns linked Ruari’s account with a very large number of other ticketing accounts, which the club viewed as evidence of centralised control. The email did not explicitly accuse the family of reselling tickets or using bots, but said the account had been managed outside authorised processes.
Katie says she helps relatives and friends with ticket administration, including away applications, and that some family members share devices or need help using online systems. She has appealed restrictions affecting several family accounts, saying tickets were not sold for profit and that official forwarding was used when people could not attend.
The case highlights the tension between clubs trying to stop touting and long-standing supporters who manage tickets collectively. Manchester United declined to comment on Ruari’s individual case, but said its anti-touting work last season recovered more than 14,000 tickets worth over £1m and returned them through official channels.
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