Liverpool fan's tickets cancelled over accusation of touting

A lifelong Liverpool fan accused of facilitating ticket touting has blasted the football club for cancelling his tickets and saying it would not refund him £1,500.

Declan, from Northern Ireland, had bought three tickets for himself and his daughters, for Sunday's end of season game when Liverpool will lift the Premier League trophy.

He later received an email stating: "Your tickets have been cancelled due to suspicious activity and you will not be provided with a refund."

LFC said it takes a "zero tolerance approach to all forms of ticket touting" and "anyone who facilitated ticket touting" or "breached the club's terms and conditions" would be sanctioned.

A BBC Nolan Show investigation found that cancellation emails, like the one sent to Declan, are routinely sent out before fans who are under suspicion have an opportunity to defend themselves.

After receiving the correspondence Declan contacted the club.

"I automatically panicked, thinking what's going on?

"Have I been hacked?"

He was told the club had discovered that in 2024 he had sold a ticket which ended up in the hands of a ticket tout.

Declan had advertised a ticket on X and this was a breach of the official LFC terms and conditions.

He then transferred the ticket via Liverpool's official website to a registered member.

It later emerged that the account was linked to a ticket tout which neither Liverpool or Declan were aware of at the time.

"I passed on the ticket to an official member. What has happened subsequently to that I have no idea.

"But again, I can't be held accountable, surely, for something that happened 15 months ago?

"I have been to games since."

Declan has acknowledged that advertising on social media is a breach of LFC terms and conditions.

But, at the time, he said he thought he was selling a ticket to a genuine fan and said he did so at less than face value.

"The ticket cost me £32, I sent it to an official member for £30. If I am a ticket tout I am the worst ticket tout in history," he added.

University of Liverpool's Kieran Maguire, a football finance expert and host of the Price of Football podcast, said ticket touting is a massive problem for big clubs like Liverpool.

"Liverpool cancelled 100,000 fake membership accounts last year, they had 75 lifetime bans, 136 fans have been given indefinite suspensions, so it's a huge problem," he said.

"And no system works particularly well so therefore decent fans like Declan get caught up in it."

Andy Bell, a Liverpool supporter and a contributor to the Liverpool fan site The Anfield Wrap, said Liverpool's drive to tackle ticket touts isn't working.

"Touting sites have these tickets available, one is going for £18,000 this weekend, so it hasn't solved the problem at all," he added.

After the BBC contacted LFC, the club refunded Declan's money, but they have refused to restore the match tickets for Declan and his family , insisting he facilitated ticket touting.

In a statement, LFC said : "Liverpool Football Club takes a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of ticket touting. We thoroughly investigate all reported cases and anyone who has facilitated ticket touting and breached the club's terms and conditions will be sanctioned.

"We will continue to do all we can to combat all forms of ticket touting and protect genuine supporters."