AS IF TICKETS WEREN'T EXPENSIVE ENOUGH

A new online ticket exchange that has struck ground-breaking deals with Manchester United and Chelsea football clubs has come under fire from fans.

The new service, Viagogo, will not only allow season ticket holders to legally sell unwanted tickets to club members and other season ticket holders for Premier League games, but it also promises to clean up the murky secondary market in 'spares' in the UK.

However, supporters have attacked the initiative as ‘legitimising touting'. Oliver Houston, vice-chairman of the Manchester United Supporters' Trust, objects to the 25 per cent commission charged by Viagogo.

‘It's a way of pushing up prices without appearing to do so,' he complains. ‘If fans who buy a season ticket decide to sell on those tickets except for, say, matches against Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, then the club is going to take a cut of the 25 per cent commission. They're trying to sell it to us as a way of stopping touts and providing a service for fans. We're not fooled.'

The service achieves the commission by paying ticket-sellers only 85 per cent of the ticket price, and then charging a further 10 per cent to the buyer. The Football Supporters' Federation is also uneasy about the development.

‘A service that can make tickets available to genuine fans rather than paying over the odds is a good thing, but this is a private company making a heavy mark-up,' comments the group's chair, Malcolm Clarke. ‘We don't see why clubs can't do it themselves. Fans should simply be able to return the ticket to the club, who can resell it and knock the price of the ticket off next year's season ticket. It is much more sensible, not to mention cheaper, than putting the service out to contract with a private company.'