Chelsea asked to explain relationship with controversial ticket website Todd Boehly part-owns after fan fury
CHELSEA have been asked to explain their relationship with ticket resale site Vivid Seats after fan fury towards Todd Boehly.
Blues co-owner Boehly is a director and investor in the American firm, which listed some individual Premier League tickets for up to £20,000 last season.
2
2
The Chelsea Supporters' Trust (CST) wrote to Premier League chief executive Richard Masters in March saying they were "dismayed" by the connection.
Blues supporters also said Boehly's position felt like a "breach of trust" and a "clear conflict of interest".
Vivid Seats, who often sell tickets at inflated rates, is listed on the Premier League website as an unauthorised ticket website.
The league has even told fans to "exercise extreme caution" when purchasing from Vivid Seats.
Masters met with the Football Supporters Association last month and revealed the Premier League have now contacted Chelsea and that the matter is "ongoing".
The minutes from the meeting between the FSA and Masters, which included CST vice-chair Dom Rosso, read: "RM [Masters] confirmed the PL had written to Chelsea to seek clarification on the club's position with the matter ongoing.
"RM advised the PL would reply to CST once the PL had concluded its discussions with the club."
Chelsea took strong action against ticket touts earlier this season.
They told supporters in an email that they had cancelled 1,500 membership accounts where a link to ticket touting had been identified.
Chelsea have been contacted for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
39 minutes ago
- The Guardian
UK to cut green levies on businesses in bid to reduce energy costs and boost manufacturing
The government is to slash green levies on thousands of businesses, in an effort to bring down sky-high energy costs for firms and boost the manufacturing sector in Labour heartlands. The measure is a key plank of the long-awaited industrial strategy, a 10-year plan to boost sectors ranging from the creative industries to manufacturing. More than 7,000 businesses could have their energy bills reduced as the government removes levies such as the renewables obligation, which funds continuing commitments to earlier renewable electricity generation projects. It will come alongside a parallel policy, reported in the Guardian last week, aimed at helping particularly electricity-intensive industries such as the beleaguered steel sector. This will involve increasing the discount on the fees that energy-intensive firms pay to connect to the grid to 90%, up from 60%. Industry sources told the Guardian last week that, while the policy was welcome, the overall saving for steel is expected only to be worth about £15m a year. However, the discount is also anticipated to help about 500 businesses in other industries, including aluminium, ceramics and glass. British manufacturers have long complained of having to grapple with some of the highest electricity prices in the developed world, as well as delays in connecting to the grid, a particular concern in the tech sector. There will be new systems put in place for major investment projects that create significant numbers of jobs to have faster grid access, expected to be in place before the end of the year. Announcing the plan, the prime minister, Keir Starmer, said he hoped it would be 'a turning point for Britain's economy and a clear break from the short-termism and sticking plasters of the past. 'In an era of global economic instability, it delivers the long-term certainty and direction British businesses need to invest, innovate and create good jobs that put more money in people's pockets as part of the plan for change.' The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said the strategy would complement the spending review, which prioritised investment in infrastructure and industry. 'It'll see billions of pounds for investment and cutting-edge tech, ease energy costs and upskill the nation. It will ensure the industries that make Britain great can thrive,' she said. 'It will boost our economy and create jobs that put more money in people's pockets.' The government said the reforms would not directly cost the taxpayer anything or lead to an increase in household bills, but would be funded through reforms to the energy system. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Energy costs are likely to remain significantly higher than in Germany and France, chiefly because UK electricity prices are linked to the cost of wholesale gas, which is a larger part of the British energy mix than on the continent. Key to the plan is the proposed linking of the UK's emissions trading scheme with that of the EU, announced in May at a joint summit in London, though negotiations about the UK's entry into that carbon market are still not concluded. The strategy on Monday is expected to focus on eight sectors where the UK has potential for fast growth: advanced manufacturing, clean energy, creative industries, defence, digital, financial services, life sciences and professional services. The Confederation of British Industry's chief executive, Rain Newton-Smith, praised the strategy, saying 'competitive energy prices, fast-tracked planning decisions and backing innovation will provide a bedrock for growth. But the global race to attract investment will require a laser-like and unwavering focus on the UK's overall competitiveness.' Stephen Phipson, the chief executive of the manufacturers' organisation Make UK, said the strategy was a 'giant and much-needed step forward', saying there had long been frustration in the sector at the skills crisis, crippling energy costs and difficulty in accessing capital. 'The strategy announced today sets out plans to address all three of these structural failings,' he said. 'Clearly there is much to do as we move towards implementation, but this will send a message across the country and around the world that Britain is back in business.'
Reuters
41 minutes ago
- Reuters
Britain to cut companies' energy bills in new industrial strategy
LONDON, June 22 (Reuters) - Britain will aim to cut the electricity bills of thousands of companies under a new industrial strategy to be published on Monday, heeding calls from business to lower high energy costs that they say have damaged competitiveness and hindered growth. Under an industrial strategy for the decade 2025-2035, the government plans to cut the bills of electricity-intensive manufacturers by up to 25% from 2027, a move it said could benefit more than 7,000 businesses. The government has made boosting Britain's anaemic growth a key priority. But lawmakers and business leaders had highlighted the sky-high energy costs many companies face as a hindrance to that aim, with industry body Make UK saying government should scrap climate levies imposed on firms. Britain has been under pressure to do more to support its key industries and bolster competitiveness as the United States and the European Union also seek to do likewise, in a trade landscape upended by U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs. Alongside the strategy, five sectoral plans for areas such as advanced manufacturing, creative industries and clean energy are also set to be published. The Industrial Strategy focuses on eight previously identified sectors of strength for Britain, which also include defence and financial services. The government said it would exempt energy-intensive manufacturers from levies like the Renewables Obligation to boost their international competitiveness. "Tackling energy costs and fixing skills has been the single biggest ask of us from businesses and the greatest challenge they have faced – this government has listened," Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said in a statement. The government said the energy measures would be funded through reforms to the energy system, without raising household bills or taxes. The scope and eligibility for the scheme will be finalised after a consultation. Make UK said the industrial strategy was a "giant and much needed step forward" that also tackled a skills shortage in Britain's workforce and access to capital. The Confederation of British Industry said it was an "unambiguous, positive signal" that would provide a "bedrock for growth" The industrial strategy, Britain's first in eight years, will expand the state-owned British Business Bank's capacity to channel investment into smaller companies, and provide an extra 1.2 billion pounds ($1.61 billion) a year on skills by 2028-29. The government added it would cut regulatory burdens on businesses, spend more on research and development and speed up planning processes. ($1 = 0.7435 pounds)
The Independent
42 minutes ago
- The Independent
Energy costs to be cut for industry as Starmer seeks economic ‘turning point'
Electricity costs for thousands of businesses will be cut by scrapping green levies to help them compete with foreign rivals. The plan, which could cut bills by up to 25%, forms a key part of Sir Keir Starmer's 10-year industrial strategy which he hopes will address stuttering economic growth and transform the business landscape. The Prime Minister said the plan marks a 'turning point for Britain's economy' by supporting key industries where there is potential for growth. Manufacturers have warned 'crippling' power costs are far higher for UK businesses than competitors overseas. From 2027, a new British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will cut costs by up to £40 per megawatt hour for over 7,000 manufacturing firms by exempting them from levies on bills including the renewables obligation, feed-in tariffs and the capacity market. Around 500 of the most energy-intensive firms, including the steel industry, chemicals and glassmaking, will also see their network charges cut – they currently get a 60% discount through the British Industry Supercharger scheme, which will increase to 90% from 2026. The plan also promises measures to speed up the time it can take to connect new factories and projects to the energy grid. Sir Keir said: 'This industrial strategy marks a turning point for Britain's economy and a clear break from the short-termism and sticking plasters of the past.' He said the decade-long plan would deliver 'the long-term certainty and direction British businesses need to invest' during an 'era of global uncertainty'. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband blamed 'our reliance on gas sold on volatile international markets' for the high electricity costs for businesses. He said 'doubling down' on wind and nuclear power would 'bring down bills for households and businesses for good'. The industrial strategy focuses on eight areas where the UK is already strong and there is potential for further growth: advanced manufacturing, clean energy, creative industries, defence, digital, financial services, life sciences and professional and business services. Plans for five of the sectors will be published on Monday, but the defence, financial services and life sciences strategies will come later. Other measures include: – Increasing the British Business Bank's financial capacity to £25.6 billion, including £4 billion for sectors in the industrial strategy. – Raising research and development spending to £22.6 billion a year by 2029/30. – An extra £1.2 billion a year for skills by 2028-29 to train Britons to do jobs in growth industries and reduce reliance on foreign workers. – Attracting 'elite' overseas talent through visa and migration reforms. – Cutting the administrative cost of red tape by 25% and reducing the number of regulators. – Reducing the time it takes to get planning permission by hiring more planners, streamlining pre-application requirements and combining environmental obligations. – Increasing the supply of locations for investment around the country with a £600 million strategic sites accelerator. The strategy comes after the latest figures indicated the economy shrank by 0.3% in April, the biggest monthly contraction in gross domestic product for a year-and-a-half, as businesses felt the impact of Donald Trump's tariffs and domestic pressure as a result of hikes to firms' national insurance contributions. There are also concerns in industry about the impact of the Government's Employment Rights Bill, which could add to business costs. Confederation of British Industry chief executive Rain Newton-Smith said: 'More competitive energy prices, fast-tracked planning decisions and backing innovation will provide a bedrock for growth. 'But the global race to attract investment will require a laser-like and unwavering focus on the UK's overall competitiveness.' Manufacturers' organisation Make UK's chief Stephen Phipson said the three major challenges facing industry were 'a skills crisis, crippling energy costs and an inability to access capital for new British innovators', and the strategy 'sets out plans to address all three'. TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: 'We welcome ministers taking action to reduce sky-high energy costs for manufacturers – something unions have been calling for as a matter of urgency. 'For too long, UK industry has been hamstrung by energy prices far above those in France and Germany. It's made it harder to compete, invest, and grow.' Acting shadow energy secretary Andrew Bowie said: 'It is astonishing that Labour are finally admitting that the costs of net zero are so high that they're having to spend billions of pounds of taxpayers' money subsidising businesses' energy bills to stop them going bust.' Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith has written an open letter to firms warning they are being 'sleepwalked into disaster' by the Employment Rights Bill. He said: 'When it comes to business, it's actions, not words, which count, but this Government is stepping on the accelerator and the brake at the same time.'
