Manchester United create dedicated anti-touting role after 685 season ticket bans spark fan protests

Manchester United are hiring a dedicated anti-touting specialist at Old Trafford after a crackdown that saw 685 season ticket holders banned sparked protests from supporters, including a demonstration during last month’s Manchester derby against City.

The club has advertised a Supporter Escalations Executive role, tasked with independently managing a high volume of complex supporter investigations, sanctions, appeals and escalations related to ticket distribution. According to the job listing on United’s official website, the executive will use “AI, technology and spreadsheet-based data analysis to identify patterns, trends and emerging risks” while acting as a primary point of contact for supporters navigating appeals.

The new hire will also be responsible for building “trust and confidence by ensuring supporters feel heard, informed and respected throughout their appeal or escalation, regardless of outcome, while protecting consistency and fairness across the whole fanbase.”

The move comes amid significant tension between the club and its match-going supporter base. United’s decision to ban 685 season ticket holders suspected of touting drew fierce criticism, with a number of those sanctioned maintaining their innocence. The backlash culminated in a visible protest at the Manchester derby last month.

Fan group The Red Army issued a statement on behalf of multiple supporter organisations, describing the situation as “an honest, heartfelt cry for recognition from the maligned, vilified, and misrepresented beating heart of our football club — the generational match-going supporters.”

The group also broadened the criticism beyond Old Trafford, arguing that touting represents “a league-wide crisis that should be addressed at every club, regardless of rivalries and history,” and warning that without significant change, the traditional match-going culture underpinning English football is at risk.

By formalising the investigative process through a dedicated executive, United appear to be attempting to balance continued enforcement against touting with a more transparent and accountable appeals process — an acknowledgement that the blunt instrument of mass bans has damaged trust with the very supporters the club says it is trying to protect.