Arsenal cancel more than 31,000 accounts including 27,000 memberships

Ahead of Arsenal vs Real Madrid club issue update on combating touts

With Arsenal's blockbuster Champions League clash against Real Madrid at the Emirates looming large next week, the club's hierachry have issued a strongly worded statement warning fans without tickets to avoid using touts for the big game. 

The demand for this fixture has been extremely high and Arsenal are urging all supporters to avoid purchasing tickets from touts, unauthorised third-party websites or social media.

The club say there is a significant risk that tickets obtained from these sources will be duplicated or counterfeited, and that if you have a ticket that is invalid, you will be denied entry to the stadium.

Arsenal said: "So far this season, this has enabled us to identify and cancel more than 31,000 accounts, including 27,603 memberships, attempting to obtain tickets in unauthorised ways.

"Any tickets identified as having been purchased in violation of our terms and conditions will be blocked, and you will be denied entry.

"Any associated memberships will also be cancelled. Supporters found to be engaging in touting will face severe penalties, including bans from purchasing future tickets?or attending matches, and may be reported to the police. 

The club insist that they continue to make a significant six-figure investment into action against ticket touting to ensure tickets are going into the hands of supporters. They add that their anti-touting operations include specialist third-party operatives on the ground, regular seat checks and home and away ticket collections at matches. 

They club say: "Our move to digital ticketing and the introduction of our ballot system for members also helps us to address the issue of illegal ticket touting and bot activity as the system identifies suspicious activity before tickets are allocated.

"In March alone, thousands of high-risk accounts were removed from ballots for our matches based on indicators such as repeated IP addresses, bot-like purchase behaviour, and identity fraud."

Only Gold and Platinum season ticket holders can transfer their tickets to other members via Ticket Transfer.

If you receive offers via Ticket Transfer from Silver, Red, Cannon or Junior Gunners, the club say this is a scam.

Ticket transfer is a free service to ensure all tickets are utilised. If you are offered a ticket via a ‘name change’ which incurs a cost, this is also a scam.

Arsenal categorically state: "Tickets purchased from social media sites such as Facebook and X, touts and unofficial websites often do not materialise or are counterfeit.

"If you purchase tickets from these sources, you are also open to the risk of identity fraud.

"Please be aware that the club is not liable for any financial loss you may incur if you purchase tickets from unofficial sources."