Manchester United apologized for the Galatasaray match ticket scandal

Manchester United have admitted the number of tickets received by Galatasaray fans was “unacceptable” after hundreds of visiting fans were seen outside the away stands at Old Trafford.

United came under heavy criticism after images on social media showed Galatasaray fans celebrating their 3-2 victory in the Champions League decider scattered throughout the stadium.

The club then launched an investigation into how so many visiting fans were able to infiltrate the inside of the ground and shared their initial findings.

While some United fans stated on social media that they were attacked and harassed by Galatasaray fans at Old Trafford, the club’s commercial director, Collette Roche, apologized to those who were attacked.

Photo: Reuters.

THEY BOUGHT THE TICKETS WITH BOT ACCOUNTS

Roche claimed that “robot accounts” were responsible for taking dozens of seats in the south stand, which were then redistributed “through ticket sellers.”

United added that the robots tricked the club into believing the seats were actually purchased by official members, many of whom were under 16 years old.

Roche said: “Our system showed that these tickets were mainly sold to long-term official members who had attended other matches in recent seasons, and a large percentage of them belonged to people under 16 years old, so they did not represent any risk. during pre-match checks. In reality, those attending the night were adult Galatasaray fans.” saying.

“IN THE LAST 10 YEARS THERE HAS BEEN NO PROBLEM”

United have admitted that the current sales policy, under which official membership is not required to purchase away zone tickets for matches at Old Trafford, was one of the reasons for Tuesday’s worrying scenes.

“Although this situation has not caused problems in the last decade, the volume of tickets accessed by people who appear to be Galatasaray fans and who do not reside in Turkey was unacceptable,” Roche said.

Galatasaray fans tore off part of the ‘There’s nothing like being red in the world’ banner on the second floor of the East Stand at Old Trafford after entering the home stand. Photo: Reuters.

United claim that administrators prevented “a large number” of Galatasaray fans from entering the stadium, despite reports on social media that they largely allowed visiting fans to stay and expelled others who caused problems. But they acknowledged that others were able to remain in their seats “because of the numbers involved.”

The club was accused of “marketing” its own tickets by selling general admission seats donated to the MU Foundation as guest tickets, but Roche said that was “never” the case.

United admitted this week that seats donated to the club’s charity ended up in the hands of visiting fans, but this was because the cost of the ticket was given to the charity rather than the ticket itself.

THERE WILL BE A CHANGE IN THE TICKET SALES SYSTEM

To avoid a repeat of the Galatasaray match, United will sell tickets for home cup matches, including games against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup and Copenhagen and Bayern Munich in the Champions League, “with contacts in the ticket sales database before the tie for the match in question.” will limit.

“I hope the above update gives you some reassurance that we are taking this matter seriously and are working with our supporter representatives to prevent a potential recurrence,” Roche said.