Latest news with #ChelseaSupportersTrust
Times
2 hours ago
- Business
- Times
Premier League writes to Chelsea over Todd Boehly's ticket resale site
The Premier League has written to Chelsea to seek clarification over the club's position on ticket resales in light of Todd Boehly's ownership of the third-party ticketing website Vivid Seats. In March Chelsea supporters called on the Premier League to take action against Boehly, the club's chairman, for his ownership of the platform, which resells match tickets for thousands of pounds above their face value. Richard Masters, the Premier League's chief executive, confirmed during a meeting with the Football Supporters' Association that the league had written to Chelsea in light of the controversy. Boehly, who is part of the BlueCo consortium that owns Chelsea, is also a director of and investor in Vivid Seats, an American website that allows users based outside the UK to buy and sell tickets to concerts and sporting events. The Chelsea Supporters' Trust says Boehly has yet to respond to 'multiple opportunities' to address fans' concerns ROBBIE JAY BARRATT – AMA/GETTY IMAGES Vivid Seats was found to be selling Chelsea tickets at inflated prices, with seats for the club's home fixture against the champions Liverpool listed for up to £20,000. The platform is listed by the Premier League as an 'unauthorised ticket website', with the league urging fans to 'exercise extreme caution' when dealing with the site. It cannot be used by fans in Britain because it is illegal to resell tickets in this way in the UK. The Chelsea Supporters' Trust (CST) contacted the Premier League in March about the matter, while it also wrote to the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy. 'As a director of Chelsea FC and part-owner, Mr Boehly's connection with Vivid Seats is totally inappropriate and significantly undermines the efforts of Chelsea FC, the Premier League, and the Metropolitan police to combat ticket touting,' the letter said. 'The CST firmly believes that it is now time for the Premier League to act and investigate.' The CST said it had given Boehly 'multiple opportunities' to address the fans' concerns but that neither the 51-year-old American nor his representatives had responded. Masters noted that the Premier League would respond to the CST after it had finished consultations with Chelsea. Chelsea and the Premier League have been approached for comment.
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Premier League questions Chelsea over ‘unauthorised ticket seller' co-owned by Todd Boehly
The Premier League has demanded answers from Chelsea over the 'unauthorised' reselling of Premier League tickets by a website co-owned by Todd Boehly. In an open letter, the Chelsea Supporters' Trust requested in March that the English top tier act 'swiftly' in investigating club chairman Boehly's involvement in Vivid Seats. Richard Masters, the league's chief executive, has now confirmed at a Football Supporters' Association event that the competition had written to the club. According to minutes of the recent FSA event, Masters 'confirmed the PL [Premier League] had written to Chelsea to seek clarification on the club's position with the matter ongoing. RM [Masters] advised the PL would reply to CST [Chelsea Supporters' Trust] once the PL had concluded its discussions with the club.' Telegraph Sport first reported in February how Vivid Seats, a US-based online marketplace of which Boehly is both an investor and director, was allowing foreign-based users to buy and sell Premier League tickets for up to tens of thousands of pounds. Boehly has not been accused of any wrongdoing. CST had asked the league to 'act and investigate' the situation which they believe is both a 'breach of trust' and 'a clear conflict of interest'. The trust has also submitted evidence against the American company to the Government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Chelsea recently pledged to take action on ticket touting but did not name Vivid Seats or other ticket resellers. Vivid does not allow fans based in Britain to buy or sell tickets – the latter of which would be illegal – but its business model does raise the prospect of Chelsea co-owner Boehly profiting from the kind of activity his own club have repeatedly denounced. The CST wrote in its March letter to Masters: 'We have received a significant amount of correspondence from concerned CST members and supporters from the wider Chelsea FC fan base on this issue that cannot be ignored.' Boehly has not commented but Vivid Seats previously said in a statement: 'As a global business, we are always respectful and cognisant of local regulatory policies and procedures that are in place in any market to ensure we are compliant. As such, our policy restricts the sale of EPL tickets from UK sellers. We can confirm that we do not have any UK sellers listing EPL inventory on our marketplace. Additionally, Vivid Seats does not and has never directly marketed or advertised Premier League tickets to UK customers.' Boehly, a director and investor in Vivid, described as an 'unauthorised ticket seller' by the league, also owns a 13 per cent stake in Chelsea.
The Sun
6 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
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.
BBC News
9 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Premier League contact Chelsea over Boehly ticket website
The Premier League have written to Chelsea to seek clarification over the club's position with ticket re-sellers - amid controversy over Todd Boehly's involvement in Vivid Seats. Boehly is both a director and investor in Vivid, described as an "unauthorised ticket seller" by the league, and also owns a 13% stake in Chelsea. The website lists Chelsea matches on its platform, with some tickets last season at Stamford Bridge going for as much as £20,000. It is not allowed to operate in the United Kingdom, although is permissible overseas. Chelsea Supporters' Trust asked the Premier League to "act and investigate" the situation which they believe is both a "breach of trust and "a clear conflict of interest" in an open letter issued in March. Premier League CEO Richard Masters has explained they are discussing the matter with Chelsea in a situation described as "ongoing" at a Football Supporters' Association event last week. The Supporters' Trust has also submitted evidence against the American company to the government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).Boehly, Chelsea and Vivid have been contacted for further comment. Vivid CEO Stanley Chia is quoted by Sportico , externalas saying "economic and political volatility" has impacted the ticketing market as the company's share price fell by 61% this have recently pledged to take action on ticket touting, although without naming Vivid or other ticket re-sellers, which the CST letter said it was "encouraged" by. There have been concerns about a "flat" atmosphere at Stamford Bridge, highlighted by previous manager Mauricio Pochettino and echoed by current head coach Enzo Maresca at times last season, amid trials of a singing section in the Conference are currently participating in the Club World Cup in the United States and next face ES Tunis in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
The Sun
09-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Stamford Bridge erupts in brawls as Chelsea launch probe into ‘most serious breach of stadium security in recent memory'
CHELSEA have launched a probe after hundreds of away fans infiltrated the home end for Thursday's Conference League match. Supporters of Swedish side Djurgarden were able to buy tickets in almost every section of Stamford Bridge for the semi-final second leg. 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 Cops and stewards had to intervene to keep the peace during the game, which Chelsea won 1-0. Chelsea claim to be cracking down on illegal ticket sales and are going digital with seat allocation from next season in a bid to beat the touts. The visiting supporters made no attempt to remain anonymous and sang loudly throughout the 90-minute match. Footage from inside the ground on the night shows one section of Stamford Bridge being completely taken over by visiting fans, which saw Chelsea release an update during the game and relocate fans in the impacted areas. One fan captured a video showing fans clashing in the Matthew Harding Stand of the stadium during the match, with another showing fans brawling in the West Stand concourse at half-time. The Chelsea Supporters' Trust released a damning statement following the game and asked fans to come forwards to present evidence for an formal investigation. The statement said: "During Thursday's UEFA Conference League vs. Djurgården, a huge number of away supporters were able to infiltrate large areas of the home end. "This is the most serious breach of stadium security in recent memory, and it significantly undermines any security protocols Chelsea FC put in place ahead of the fixture. "As a result, the Chelsea Supporters' Trust will formally write a letter of complaint to Chelsea FC's COO and Head of Security. "We will call for a formal investigation by the club into the ticket sales process and Chelsea FC's security response during the match. "The findings of this investigation and any subsequent recommendations must be made available to supporters. "The CST invites all supporters who attended the fixture on Thursday to submit written, photographic, and video evidence they captured during the fixture. "The CST will then collate this evidence and then submit it to Chelsea FC." A Chelsea statement read: "We will be reviewing all ticketing arrangements following this evening's match and commit to implementing all necessary changes following this review. "We will also share all our findings with the Fan Advisory Board." Large numbers of police were on duty as they were in the previous round when the notorious Legia Warsaw ultras also gained entry into home sections of the ground. Chelsea's own chairman Todd Boehly owns a stake in US-based Vivid Seats which is an unauthorised ticket resale site. A Met Police spokesperson said: 'Officers were deployed to support stewards at Stamford Bridge last night after a number of away fans were identified in home stands. "The fans had purchased tickets but not for the appropriate part of the ground. 'A number of away fans who had found themselves in the home stands climbed into the designated away stand where they remained without incident. 'Where away fans remained in home areas, officers and stewards provided a visible presence to ensure any incidents or altercations could be dealt with. 'While there were six arrests outside the ground for various offences including assault and possession of drugs, there were no arrests within the ground.'
