'Breach of trust' - Chelsea Supporters' Trust slam Todd Boehly over ownership of 'unauthorised' resale site which flogs Premier League match tickets for 'significantly inflated prices'

Boehly, who led the consortium that purchased Chelsea in 2022, is also a director and investor in Vivid Seats, an American ticket exchange that enables non-UK users to buy and sell tickets for concerts and sporting events. Chelsea supporters have raised serious concerns over the potential conflict of interest, given that Boehly's financial involvement with Vivid Seats suggests he may be indirectly profiting from a practice that his own club has officially condemned.

CST have demanded that Boehly address the growing concerns, emphasising that Chelsea tickets should not appear on resale platforms.

“Vivid Seats currently lists hundreds of Chelsea FC General Admission tickets at significantly inflated prices,” a spokesman said. “As these tickets are not sold by the Chelsea FC website, they are considered by the club to be ‘illegal sales’. Within the recent CST ticket touting survey, many CST members suggested that Mr Boehly’s connection with Vivid Seats is a ‘breach of trust’ and could be a conflict of interest.

“These recent reports are very disappointing, and it is within Mr Boehly’s best interests to investigate these issues and address supporters’ concerns — we do not believe it is appropriate for any Chelsea tickets or wider Premier League tickets to be listed on the Vivid Seats website.”

Following the backlash, Vivid Seats issued a statement on Wednesday, clarifying its position and denying any wrongdoing. They said: “As a global business, we are always respectful and cognisant of local regulatory policies and procedures that are in place in any market to ensure we are compliant.

“As such, our policy restricts the sale of EPL [English Premier League] tickets from UK sellers. We can confirm that we do not have any UK sellers listing EPL inventory on our marketplace. Additionally, Vivid Seats does not and has never directly marketed or advertised Premier League tickets to UK customers. Regarding pricing, Vivid Seats does not set the base price for tickets sold on its marketplace or receive any revenue from that base price; only the seller sets and receives the base ticket price.”

Chelsea have previously taken a firm position against ticket touting, warning that season-ticket holders found reselling seats for profit could face serious consequences.

“Supporters found to be selling their ticket for more than face value will be subject to a club investigation and sanctions, including the removal of season tickets, memberships and access to the away match ticket scheme,” they said in a statement last year.

“This unfortunately occurs more often than you would expect, and the club has been forced to ban many members and season ticket holders. In some cases, the matter will be reported to the police for criminal prosecution. The only place to purchase general admission tickets is via official Chelsea FC channels, including the club website and ticket exchange. Ticket holders can only transfer a ticket to a friend or family member for no more than face value.”

According to The Times, Despite Chelsea's anti-touting policies, tickets for the club’s matches continue to appear on Vivid Seats at astonishing prices. For instance, tickets for Chelsea’s February 25 home game against Southampton range from £98 to over £1,036. The stakes are even higher for Chelsea’s clash with Liverpool on May 3, where prices are listed between £685 and an eye-watering £6,560.

A CST-conducted survey revealed widespread dissatisfaction among Chelsea fans regarding the club's handling of ticket resale issues. Over two-thirds of respondents believe that ticket touting remains a major problem, while only 17% expressed confidence in the club’s ability to effectively tackle the issue.

“The alarming findings of this survey have indicated that supporters do not have faith or trust in Chelsea FC to combat ticket touting and that the club has failed to protect its loyal supporters from the ongoing exploitation of ticket touting,” the trust said.

“It is vital that the club provides immediate reassurances to supporters and must demonstrate that they are taking effective action to combat ticket touting through greater communication, stricter resale policies and sanctions, and additional enforcement against illegal ticket selling.

“Despite warnings from the CST, the trend of data indicates that supporters have become increasingly dissatisfied with anti-touting measures in place at Chelsea FC over the past 2-3 years. Now is the time to take proper, meaningful steps to address this. This is not simply about ticketing, this is about respecting and protecting the lifeblood of Chelsea FC — its supporters.”