Tickets for the sold-out Manchester United versus Leeds United friendly at Croke Park are being resold online for up to ten times their original price, despite the venue being covered by anti-touting legislation.
While original prices started at €50 for adults and €25 for under-16s, tickets for Wednesday’s match were listed on resale sites yesterday for between €182 and €515.
New laws were introduced in July 2021 banning the reselling of tickets above the original value, in a bid to give fairer access to events for fans.
John Clendennen. Pic: Facebook
A few exemptions were made, for sellers such as amateur sports clubs and registered charities, but Croke Park joined the register of designated venues covered by the 2021 Act.
Fine Gael TD John Clendennen said: ‘This is a sold-out, family-friendly fixture at a stadium which has been legally designated to prevent this kind of price-gouging, and yet the tickets are sitting openly on resale sites at multiples of their face value.’
The Offaly TD said there have been no prosecutions so far under the Sale of Tickets Act.
Manchester United vs Leeds. Pic: Michael Regan/Getty Images
‘Websites advertising inflated ticket prices, often at multiples of their face value, are illegal, and the onus is on the CCPC [Competition and Consumer Protection Commission], An Garda Síochána and the Government to do something about it.’
He continued: ‘I have raised this issue repeatedly, from the Six Nations to the Ryder Cup, and the pattern is always the same: strong legislation, but no visible enforcement.’
Mr Clendennen said he will work with Enterprise Minister Peter Burke on the issue to ensure gardaí and the CCPC are equipped to deal with it.
Manchester United vs Leeds. Pic: Carl Recine/Getty Images
He said both organisations needed the power to take action against operators openly advertising these tickets.
However, he praised some sites, such as Ticketmaster, which offer fans an opportunity to resell their tickets legally, for their face value.
‘These vendors are reputable, and they are meeting the legislative requirements. I’m encouraging people to use those sites,’ he said.
Under the 2021 Act, touts face fines of up to €100,000 or up to two years in prison if they sell tickets for live events above their face value.
However, Mr Burke recently said: ‘The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment requests regular updates from An Garda Síochána in relation to prosecutions under this Act. The department is not aware of any prosecutions so far.’
The CCPC said: ‘The CCPC does not have an enforcement role under the Act and is not responsible for investigating alleged breaches.’
A Garda spokesman said the force was ‘aware of the advertisement for sale of alleged tickets for sports fixtures on internet platforms, primarily hosted outside the jurisdiction.
‘An Garda Síochána has powers to investigate the resale of tickets primarily within the jurisdiction. However investigations into platforms hosted outside the jurisdiction are difficult.
‘An Garda Síochána will have processes in place to monitor any potential resale of tickets in contravention of the legislation in the vicinity of the venue.’
