Look beyond the immediate row between Manchester United and sections of their support, and this is no longer simply a dispute over tickets, touting or digital systems. At its heart, it has become a question of trust.
There is the club’s trust in fans, many of whom say they have been left feeling like “suspects” during United’s latest crackdown on ticket touting. Over the past week, thousands of supporters have received emails warning that their accounts are facing restrictions and that their season tickets could be in jeopardy.
More importantly, though, the episode has again put the spotlight on whether Manchester United supporters trust the club — and co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe — with his wider motives now facing renewed scrutiny.
United have moved to explain that any season tickets withdrawn as part of the anti-touting action will be sold on again as season tickets to fans currently on the waiting list. The message from the club is clear: this is not designed as a revenue-raising exercise, nor is it a move to reduce the overall number of season-ticket holders at Old Trafford.
That has not been enough to reassure everyone. Supporters point to fans being moved out of the South Stand to make way for a new VIP section behind the dugouts, as well as Ratcliffe’s decision to lift ticket prices to £66 and remove concessions for pensioners and children, as signs that loyal match-going fans are being pushed further down the club’s list of priorities.
Manchester United supporters, pictured during a protest outside Old Trafford in February 2026, have had long-running concerns over the club’s ownership
Many fans believe the club has overlooked regular supporters after ticket prices rose to £66 and OAP concessions were removed under Sir Jim Ratcliffe
As seen at other elite clubs, some supporters fear tourists and occasional visitors, who may spend more time in the stadium and more money in the megastore, are becoming increasingly attractive to the club
Many are suspicious about what a new stadium will mean for the rank and file, even though in theory the capacity will grow to 100,000.
When plans for Ratcliffe’s grand ‘Wembley of the North’ were unveiled at the headquarters of Foster + Partners in London in March last year, the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust issued a statement challenging the club to make clear how it would impact ‘anxious’ supporters.
‘Will it drive up ticket prices and force out local fans? Will it harm the atmosphere, which is consistently fans’ top priority in the ground?’ MUST asked. ‘Until the questions are answered, our optimism about plans to make Old Trafford the biggest and the best again will be restrained by caution about what the consequences for fans might be.’
As at other top Premier League clubs, there is a concern that tourists and day-trippers who are likely to spend longer in the stadium and more in the megastore will become increasingly valuable in the long-term compared to the traditional fanbase who risk being priced out of the market.
It’s one of the reasons why United’s rather heavy-handed attempt to crack down on touts is being met with such anger and opposition. Fans see it as yet one more measure that makes life harder for them.
‘It’s just so cut-throat, you fear what’s coming next,’ one supporter told Daily Mail Sport. ‘Everything for match-going fans has been negative, there’s nothing positive. No glimmer of hope. Sir Jim Ratcliffe is steering the ship, it’s on him now.
‘I’m petrified of doing what I normally do. What happens before I’m deemed to be a tout too? The club are putting so much time and effort into doing this, there has to be an easier way to target the touts – or is the hope that when people get the emails, they’ve just had enough?’
The first wave of emails went out last week and a second followed on Monday night. It’s understood there might be two more yet. The messages notify season-ticket holders of suspicious activity on their accounts consistent with touts, and request information to satisfy the club there has been no wrongdoing. No sanctions are imposed until fans respond or fail to do so within 14 days.
‘There’s nothing positive. No glimmer of hope. Sir Jim Ratcliffe is steering the ship, it’s on him now’
Fans see the crackdown on ‘ticket touts’ as yet one more measure that makes life harder for them
United have brought in an external agency which uses automated monitoring to flag any potential infringements of the club’s terms and conditions. The club say that the subsequent reviews receive ‘human assessment’, and they understand the concern and distress that anyone receiving the email will have experienced.
United also insist they have a responsibility to remove touts and protect the integrity of their ticketing operation for all supporters. But suspicions remain and frustration grows with a month to go until the new season kicks off.
In the meantime, it’s business as usual at Old Trafford. United launched their new blue away kit on Wednesday, and will wear it in Friday’s second pre-season friendly against Rosenborg in Trondheim.
There were only 20,069 in Helsinki’s 36,000-capacity Olympic Stadium on Saturday for the opening game against Wrexham.
Proof perhaps that Manchester United are no longer the big draw they once were? Who knows. But food for thought as the club once again finds itself at odds with some of its most loyal supporters.
