Real Madrid have declared war on ticket touting. The Spanish giants have unveiled a new disciplinary code targeting the resale of season tickets and individual match tickets across every competition, with penalties severe enough to strip offenders of their membership for good and bar them from the Santiago Bernabéu for three years.
The club's board approved the code last Tuesday, spelling out these potential violations and the punishments that follow. It's not the first move of its kind. Real Madrid have voiced their concern repeatedly over illegal activity that damages the interests of genuine fans.
Historic decision shakes the Bernabéu: Real Madrid announce unprecedented penalties
Article 10 of the code, covering very serious offences, lists a sweeping range of prohibited acts. Among them: "the unauthorised use, acquisition, offering, sale, resale, transfer, assignment, or commercial marketing of membership cards, season tickets, tickets, seats, credentials, codes, or entry passes".
An offence counts as very serious when it affects a large number of titles or events, or is carried out in a concerted or organised manner, or through widely disseminated media, or is integrated into a mediation or commercial marketing circuit, or uses platforms, companies, agencies, or structures created for this purpose, or involves manipulation, forgery, or fraudulent concealment.
Precise criteria to uncover organised networks
Real Madrid deem any activity organised "when it shows, based on its objective circumstances, sufficient coordination, structure, repetition, or substance to establish its integration into an unauthorised use or a commercial circuit".
When weighing up violations, the club will examine the source of the various memberships and whether they can be accessed through the same person, group, or intermediary. They'll also scrutinise the use of the same devices, payment methods, accounts, phone numbers, email addresses, or communication channels.
Digital platforms, social networks, agencies, institutions, and mediation services will all come under the microscope too, alongside any other element that reveals coordinated action.
No need to prove the existence of a formal organisation
Crucially, the new rules make clear that "it will not be necessary to prove the existence of a formal organisation, to identify all its members, or for the member to personally participate in the final transfer of ownership". The message is unmistakable. Oversight has been tightened and the burden of proof eased against offenders.
Strict penalties reaching permanent exclusion
Anyone caught faces stiff sanctions. These start with a "temporary suspension of membership status for a period ranging between two and three years" and can escalate to the "loss of membership status" and the "permanent loss of membership status".
Bans also form part of the arsenal, with offenders "banned from accessing the club's facilities for a period ranging between two and three years". It's a harsh blow to anyone who dares to speculate on tickets to Real Madrid matches or exploit their membership for commercial gain.
Behind the crackdown lies Real Madrid's drive to shield their members and genuine supporters from speculators and middlemen who cash in on soaring demand for match tickets. The club want those tickets reaching the fans who deserve them, at fair and transparent prices.