Tickets for Liverpool‘s potential title-deciding match at Chelsea are being sold for an eye-watering £6,333 ($8200) each – and they’re being peddled by a ticket agency partly owned by Blues co-owner Todd Boehly. It comes after questions were raised for Chelsea charging to watch the charity game – though that was explained with all proceeds going to charity.
American magnate Boehly is a director and holds a 41 percent stake in Vivid Seats, a company that sells premium tickets to international fans but features on the Premier League’s “unauthorized ticket websites” list. The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust has already urged the Premier League to investigate and take action.
Liverpool’s visit to Chelsea is scheduled for Sunday, May 4, it has now been announced, and there’s a possibility they could secure the title at Stamford Bridge, sparking a mad scramble for tickets. Astonishingly, Chelsea’s own website is offering seats in the plush Dugout Club for a staggering £13,000 ($16,800) each, giving well-heeled fans the chance to meet the players, watch them warm up, and enjoy the game from luxury seats behind the bench.
The $8000-plus price tags apply to premium seats, corporate seats, and executive boxes at Stamford Bridge, with a variety of prices and locations on offer. Chelsea supporter Dave Johnstone, who runs the cfcuk fanzine, said: “Fans are telling me that they feel they are being squeezed out by these sorts of tickets.
“A lot of fans feel now their game has gone and clubs up and down the country are trying to get rid of season tickets so they can bring in more rich supporters willing to pay far more.”
Chelsea were contacted for comment.
Chicago-based Vivid Seats, noted as an “unauthorized ticket website” by the Premier League, is a platform that fans are warned to approach with “exercise extreme caution”. The site notches up a 10 percent commission on ticket sales, along with an additional service charge, and it’s illegal for residents in Britain to engage with its services.
(Image: Andrew Kearns/Getty Images)
A spokesperson for Chelsea Supporters’ Trust (CST) expressed grave concerns: “Not only does this undermine the efforts of Chelsea FC, The Premier League, and The Metropolitan Police to combat ticket touting, but Vivid Seats contravenes the Chelsea FC ticketing policy, and is explicitly named by the Premier League as a known unauthorized ticket website.
“We believe that now is the time for the Premier League to act swiftly and ensure that a major shareowner of a Premier League club ceases facilitating the sale of tickets for significantly above face value.”
Backing CST’s stance, a representative from the Football Supporters’ Association stated: “The Football Supporters’ Association is right behind the points made by our members at Chelsea Supporters’ Trust. It is crystal clear that the Premier League needs to take action.
“Clubs, supporters’ groups, the police and the Premier League itself has worked hard in recent years to combat ticket touting – there is no excuse for a club owner to be involved in such activity.”
