Tickets for sold-out Man U vs Leeds friendly at Croke Park resold for over €400 despite touting ban

TICKETS FOR A sold-out match at Croke Park are being resold online for up to eight times their original price.

Fans can attend the friendly match between Manchester United and Leeds United next Wednesday if they spend hundreds of euros, despite the venue being covered by anti-touting legislation.

A spokesperson from Croke Park has warned fans to only purchase tickets through official channels.

“Tickets purchased from unofficial or unauthorised sources cannot be verified, and anyone arriving at Croke Park with such tickets does so at the risk of being refused entry.

“Where tickets that have been resold in breach of the applicable terms and conditions can be identified, they may be cancelled and rendered invalid for admission.”

Croke Park has been on the register of designated venues covered by the 2021 Sale of Tickets Act, which makes it illegal to sell or advertise tickets above face value for certain venues in Ireland.

While it is illegal for sites based in other countries to resell tickets above face value, An Garda Síochána told The Journal that investigating platforms outside Ireland is “difficult”.

Original tickets for the game were priced to start at €50 for adults and €25 for under-16s. They sold out earlier this year.

Fine Gael TD John Clendennen has raised concern about “price gouging”.

“The tickets are sitting openly on resale sites at multiples of their face value,” he said.

Tickets are currently listed on secondary sites at prices ranging from €112 up to €475, with some overseas-based platforms advertising seats for £159 (€190) to £344 (€400).

One site, Football Ticket Net, is also advertising tickets for the game which have a starting price of €325.

For €475 you can get a premium ticket, which carries a combined service and booking fee of €173, leaving you €648 out of pocket.

Clendennen said that he has raised this issue several times with the government but has seen no change.

Since the legislation began, there has not been a single prosecution, he said.

“The pattern is always the same: strong legislation, but no visible enforcement.

Ordinary fans who missed out on the official sale are now being asked to pay hundreds of euro to touts, while the law designed to stop this sits unused.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) said that gardaí are responsible for enforcing the legislation.

“The CCPC does not have an enforcement role under the Act and is not responsible for investigating alleged breaches of this legislation,” it said.

Instead, their role is to ensure that people are provided with clear and accurate information when purchasing tickets – for example, being told of all booking and related charges before they pay.

An Garda Síochána said that it is “aware of the advertisement for sale of alleged tickets for sports fixtures on internet platforms, primarily hosted outside the jurisdiction”, and that it has powers to investigate the resale of tickets “primarily within the jurisdiction”.

“However, investigations into platforms hosted outside the jurisdiction are difficult.”

It said that it “will have processes in place to monitor any potential resale of tickets in contravention of the legislation in the vicinity of the venue.”

“An Garda Síochána advises consumers to exercise caution when considering buying any goods online, particularly through unregulated online market places not hosted in this jurisdiction. Paying in advance, prior to the handover of goods in an online sale can bring associated risks.”

The CCPC is also warning consumers to be vigilant of scams and advises visiting its website for more information.

The Department for Enterprise, Football Ticket Net and SeatPick have been contacted for comment.

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