Galatasaray fans in the home end

[Pogue Mahone]

Utd selling hospitality tickets to whoever will buy them without a thought to an eventuality like this.

All the while taking more and more tickets away from members, yet making moving tickets on etc harder by the week.

I'm confused by this one. Are hospitality tickets available all over the ground? Because people are saying they were bunches of Turkish fans all over the place.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

As soon as I turned up at my seat, I noticed 8 Turkish lads on the row infront with half an half scarves.

And then groups of them dotted around all over. This was in the SAF stand, second tier.

As a season ticket holder, the club does contact us if we cannot attend games and you can either get your money back if they re-sell the seat or you can donate it to the United foundation.

What I cannot fathom, is 8 people in a row all giving up their seats so that the same group of mates can all sit next to each other. Or from the footage released, there is a block of about 500 Galatasaray fans sat together in the top tier of the East Stand.

That doesn't happen by chance.

So what do you think was going on?

 

[Lyng]

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As grown men, I guess we shouldn't get annoyed at this type of behaviour either?

Fecking cnuts. Hope we smash them 8 - 0 in Turkey.

 

[Yagami]

We don't whistle the opposition players when they have possession. We never have done. It's a weird leap to claim that the Old Trafford atmosphere is dead because of a lack of whistling, although I'm sure the TRA would appreciate your valuable feedback.

Not whistling but booing, creating a hostile environment when they have the ball which naturally puts a team under pressure. I wish we would take up whistling because that definitely unsettles an opposition team.

 

[Rood]

As soon as I turned up at my seat, I noticed 8 Turkish lads on the row infront with half an half scarves.

And then groups of them dotted around all over. This was in the SAF stand, second tier.

As a season ticket holder, the club does contact us if we cannot attend games and you can either get your money back if they re-sell the seat or you can donate it to the United foundation.

What I cannot fathom, is 8 people in a row all giving up their seats so that the same group of mates can all sit next to each other. Or from the footage released, there is a block of about 500 Galatasaray fans sat together in the top tier of the East Stand.

That doesn't happen by chance.

Do you know if those seats are usually ST holders?

Obviously there is a big chunk of tickets available for every match to members and even more for cup games due to opt outs - it's mostly these tickets that the Galatasaray fans have snapped up

 

[Rood]

Also this is not a unique issue at Old Trafford - estimated that a ridiculous 30,000 Frankfurt fans managed to buy home end tickets for the Nou Camp last year which makes these infiltrators at OT look insignificant

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...almost-30000-frankfurt-fans-get-into-camp-nou

 

[Wheato]

So what do you think was going on?

Well, it is possible that lots of seats were given back to the club to be re-sold. But these would only be available to members.

But I find it difficult to believe that they all signed up as club members in advance and managed to get seats together.

Someone in the ticket office will know, but they are keeping quiet about it.

 

[matt10000]

If you watch non league, often no segregation and 99% of the time grown men and women of opposing teams get on and half a laugh. Every now and then segregation is imposed for a match and then lots of people
suddenly turns into tribal animals, climbing up the fencing and trying to get through the fencing that they know they can’t, otherwise they wouldn’t try.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Well, it is possible that lots of seats were given back to the club to be re-sold. But these would only be available to members.

But I find it difficult to believe that they all signed up as club members in advance and managed to get seats together.

Someone in the ticket office will know, but they are keeping quiet about it.

I’m still not sure what you’re suggesting? Was there some mysterious online back door to the ticket office that Galatasary fans used to buy a load of tickets? I ask because if that’s true I’d like to use the same approach one day!

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Also this is not a unique issue at Old Trafford - estimated that a ridiculous 30,000 Frankfurt fans managed to buy home end tickets for the Nou Camp last year which makes these infiltrators at OT look insignificant

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...almost-30000-frankfurt-fans-get-into-camp-nou

Wasn’t that all Barca ST holders selling their seats because they can’t be arsed going along to non-glamour fixtures like that one? Do we think the same happened here?

 

[Wheato]

I’m still not sure what you’re suggesting? Was there some mysterious online back door to the ticket office that Galatasary fans used to buy a load of tickets? I ask because if that’s true I’d like to use the same approach one day!

There are season ticket holders, who for whatever reason cannot attend certain games, so they give their seats back to the club, and if the club re-sells that seat, you get your money back for that ticket.

Those seats go on general sale to members. So if you join as a member, and log in the week before any match, you should be able to find available tickets.

It's a bit of a lottery, but loads of people do it.

 

[Rood]

Wasn’t that all Barca ST holders selling their seats because they can’t be arsed going along to non-glamour fixtures like that one? Do we think the same happened here?

It's partly that but mostly just unsold tickets available straight from the club - in Barca's case the match wasn't even a sell out despite 30k Germans showing up!

OT was sold out and there will be away fans in the home end at every match but most of the time they go unnoticed as 1. There aren't many 2. They usually don't have much to sing about

On this occasion clearly more tickets than usual ended up in the wrong hands plus they had a historic late victory so made themselves heard

 

[Morpheus 7]

I was there in block S128, beside away stand. I left in injury time because I would have been arrested if I stayed at full time. 5 Galatasaray fans two rows behind me, were going at it throughout the game with me and my cousin. Cheering and singing openly. I warned them and it kicked off before half time.

Behind them 3 full rows at least, side be side many wearing colours. Spoke to staff at half time, didn't care. The fans in the away stand, were exceptional atmosphere wise, it has to be said. I felt embarrassed by the club but more disappointed by our own fans. I know fans sold there tickets in that stand, there were about 20 scattered in front of me too. I feel completely ashamed of the support, few young lads around me were great, the rest were a joke. Season tickets should be stripped from certain fans. I've never left early before a game, wasn't risking my job for that. Absolutely disgusted.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

There are season ticket holders, who for whatever reason cannot attend certain games, so they give their seats back to the club, and if the club re-sells that seat, you get your money back for that ticket.

Those seats go on general sale to members. So if you join as a member, and log in the week before any match, you should be able to find available tickets.

It's a bit of a lottery, but loads of people do it.

Ok, cool. So nothing out of the usual here. Other than maybe more ST holders than usual giving their seats back?

 

[TMDaines]

They have e-mailed all season ticket holders (and members?):

Following the number of Galatasaray fans who gained tickets in home areas of the stadium on Tuesday night, I wanted to provide you with an update following our initial investigations.

Clearly, having away fans in our home areas is not something we want at Old Trafford, and we understand and acknowledge that some fans felt unsafe and concerned about potential trouble. The safety of our fans and our staff is always our number one priority, and we pride ourselves on having an incredibly safe stadium to visit. Whilst thankfully there were no reported injuries to our fans, we want to make sure we address the issue and have been working hard over the last 48 hours to review our CCTV, so we can understand how this situation arose and stop it from happening again.

We have worked closely with MUST and our fan bodies to understand the views and experiences of fans and to discuss how best to adapt our policies going forward. I thank them for their support.

I would also like to address the misleading narrative some journalists and social media accounts have been pushing that we have blamed our fans for this. That is not true and is a misrepresentation of what we said immediately after the game.

What our investigation has found:

• We did not sell tickets to anyone with a Turkish address (despite many fans trying and claiming they were Manchester United fans living in Turkey). This is in line with what we do for all European fixtures.
• All general admission (GA) match tickets were sold to Official Members (including new membership sales), Cup, and Full Season Ticket holders. We did not sell any GA tickets to non-members.
• Galatasaray confirmed they didn’t have high demand and only took 2,200 of a potential 4,000 tickets. As a club we, along with the local authorities, therefore considered the risk of infiltration from Galatasaray fans low risk.
• Whilst there were Galatasaray fans dotted around the stadium, at this time we have focussed on three main, visible groups.
• In South Stand, one of the blocks of tickets reserved for, but not used by Galatasaray was released close to the game, and after the ballot had been completed. Initial findings, which will be reported in full in our Fans’ Forum on Tuesday, are that these were purchased by ‘bots’ and then redistributed via ticket touts. As such, our system showed that these tickets were predominately sold to long-standing Official Members who have attended other matches in recent seasons, with a large percentage being to those under the age 16, and therefore did not appear in pre-match checks to pose any risk. In reality, those who turned up on the night were adult Galatasaray fans.
  
  Club Hospitality: As with all games, the sale of matchday hospitality isn’t restricted to official Manchester United members. Whilst this hasn’t presented issues in the last couple of decades, the volume of tickets accessed by non-Turkish residents who transpired to be Galatasaray fans was unacceptable.
  
  UEFA Allocations & Galatasaray Contractual tickets: It is important to note that there are various regulations for matches in European competitions which vary from domestic matches, including dedicated allocations for away and ‘neutral’ fans in what would normally be considered ‘home’ sections. These tickets are allocated to UEFA, and a smaller number to the away team. Unfortunately, the location and allocation of these tickets is outside of our control.
• Our stewarding teams prevented numerous Galatasaray fans from entering home sections prior to the game.
• As the game progressed, more ‘away in home’ were identified. Due to the numbers involved in some areas, these groups were monitored, whilst in other areas where problems were identified and the ejection was feasible, these away supporters were removed.

What action we are taking:

• We have agreed to restrict sales for future cup games (in all competitions, for both for GA tickets and hospitality) to people who existed on our ticketing database prior to the draw for that specific game. Intelligence has already been provided to confirm these aren’t required for Copenhagen, Newcastle or Bayern Munich.
• We have met with our ticketing provider to address the fact that a large number of tickets were bought by a Bot. We will be strengthening our online security provision to try and combat this. However, this is a global issue for high demand events, not just in football. We are also accelerating existing plans to strengthen the security of digital tickets.
• To mitigate issues arising from the UEFA allocation, we will review segregation and feedback to each relevant party the importance of fans not celebrating or being visibly away fans.
• We will continue to work with MUST and other fan groups to understand and address concerns.

Points of clarification:
I am also aware of certain misconceptions being shared about our approach to ticketing. For clarity I would like to confirm:

• We never resell a general admission ticket that is donated to the MU Foundation as a hospitality ticket. They will always be resold (with the money going to the Foundation) as a general admission ticket.
• The number of matchday hospitality tickets available has not increased in the last 10 years. We still sell a maximum of 3,000 match day hospitality tickets for each fixture, which is 4% of the stadium capacity.
• Given the apparent, and increasing issues with tickets being sold via unofficial sources, we have taken steps to make hospitality packages available via the traditional match ticket purchase flow. This now means we never have a match showing as ‘sold-out’ meaning that those who used to choose to buy from unofficial sources, at prices higher than our hospitality packages, no longer need to.
• Finally, the number of GA tickets available on a match-by-match basis to our members, so far this season for our Premier League games, has averaged 19,000 tickets. This is significantly higher than pre-Covid where it could be as little as 2,000 per game. We will continue to look for ways to make more tickets available to our members.

I hope the above update gives you some reassurance that we take this matter seriously and are working with our fan representatives to avoid a potential repeat. If you have any concerns or specific intelligence about misused seats for the Galatasaray match, please contact feedback@manutd.co.uk and we will investigate further.

I apologise to those affected and thank you as always for your continued support.

Collette Roche
Chief Operating Officer

 

[Utd heap]

I'm confused by this one. Are hospitality tickets available all over the ground? Because people are saying they were bunches of Turkish fans all over the place.

Yes, pretty much. Go on the website now and look at Man City/Bayern/ other games at home, all the tickets that are available at inflated (£150-£499) hospitality prices are available for ANYONE to purchase - and they happen to be in the specific areas the Galatasary fans were in their biggest numbers (Stretford end execs, quadrants, ET2 etc).

Clearly English based Gala fans snapped these up.

The other part of the theory that Utd are reselling ST holders tickets that are legtimately returned as hospitality tickets I can't prove, and Utd are adamant they are not so I will very tentatively believe them on that for now with raised eyebrows.

Utd fans are feeling tetchy on all of this as over the last few years there have been repeated clampdowns on long standing ST holders just trying to pass on tickets to mates and family that has happened for decades - now you have to buy a forwarding membership, anyone not doing so is banned blah blah. It's created a tension between supporters and the club - this incident has just exacerbated it.

Add to that the shambles that is the online ticket system for members trying to access tickets, and the open selling of big priced hospitality while thousands of members cant get a sniff - and you get a nice melting pot.

I've typed this on a coach while hot and bothered so apologies if it could be more concise.

 

[Utd heap]

Honestly, it felt like they were the home team drowning out our fans. When we had possession, it was an European away atmosphere with the whistling, yet, when they had possession, nothing.

The whole club is just dead. Even the fan atmosphere.

The atmosphere at OT is fine - being out sung by 4k mental Turks at home would happen to 99% of teams in Europe let alone with the TRA on a game protest and the team in a horrid run.

There's loads to moan about with the state of the club, I wouldn't say this is one of them other than the club themselves running of ticketing as i've talked about above.

 

[trevor newnham]

I'm a rugby fan and crowd violence rarely happens in the stadium but football is different. For the Club to obviously sanction opposition fans into the home stands is obviously a kick in the teeth of United fans and ignorance of the safety of all football fans whichever club they support. What would have happened if United fans were in ghe Galatasary end in Turkey ? It would be carnage.

 

[Gabriel Djemba-Bebe]

The atmosphere at OT is fine - being out sung by 4k mental Turks at home would happen to 99% of teams in Europe let alone with the TRA on a game protest and the team in a horrid run.

There's loads to moan about with the state of the club, I wouldn't say this is one of them

Agreed 100%.

 

[gaffs]

Fantastic that we now have an extra 4,000 members from Istanbul!

Wonder if they bought the premium version with a scarf and pin?

 

[gaffs]

What happens now to a ticket that a fan doesn't want?

I know close towards matchday, they pop up online and you can quickly snag them.

But if ST holder gives his ticket back to the club for a match weeks or months before, are these the ones they try to sell as "hospitality" with a couple of free beers at the Victoria warehouse?

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Yes, pretty much. Go on the website now and look at Man City/Bayern/ other games at home, all the tickets that are available at inflated (£150-£499) hospitality prices are available for ANYONE to purchase - and they happen to be in the specific areas the Galatasary fans were in their biggest numbers (Stretford end execs, quadrants, ET2 etc).

Clearly English based Gala fans snapped these up.

The other part of the theory that Utd are reselling ST holders tickets that are legtimately returned as hospitality tickets I can't prove, and Utd are adamant they are not so I will very tentatively believe them on that for now with raised eyebrows.

Utd fans are feeling tetchy on all of this as over the last few years there have been repeated clampdowns on long standing ST holders just trying to pass on tickets to mates and family that has happened for decades - now you have to buy a forwarding membership, anyone not doing so is banned blah blah. It's created a tension between supporters and the club - this incident has just exacerbated it.

Add to that the shambles that is the online ticket system for members trying to access tickets, and the open selling of big priced hospitality while thousands of members cant get a sniff - and you get a nice melting pot.

I've typed this on a coach while hot and bothered so apologies if it could be more concise.

Ha! No all good. Thanks for the explanation. I was looking through a friend’s videos of his Thai bus trips recently and got extreme anxiety by proxy. I’m quite tall and looking at his knees jammed up against the seat in front for a 12 hour trip triggered me so badly. Do you get the pit stops where hawkers lean through the door and try and sell a load of dehydrated looking “chicken” on sticks?

 

[Utd heap]

What happens now to a ticket that a fan doesn't want?

I know close towards matchday, they pop up online and you can quickly snag them.

But if ST holder gives his ticket back to the club for a match weeks or months before, are these the ones they try to sell as "hospitality" with a couple of free beers at the Victoria warehouse?

That's been the hot debate for a season or so now - my guess is yes, Utd are adamant they do not.

 

[Utd heap]

Ha! No all good. Thanks for the explanation. I was looking through a friend’s videos of his Thai bus trips recently and got extreme anxiety by proxy. I’m quite tall and looking at his knees jammed up against the seat in front for a 12 hour trip triggered me so badly. Do you get the pit stops where hawkers lean through the door and try and sell a load of dehydrated looking “chicken” on sticks?

They jump on usually for a stop or two then hop off. Chicken curry in a bamboo leaf or little Pad Thais are the staples.

Leg room is a nightmare, i'm about 6ft 1 which is entirely unremarkable in western Europe but essentially a giant freak out here.

Anyway this is the Utd forum Pogue - back to the club being cheeky bastards.

 

[clarkydaz]

Thought id mention, last year i opted out of Europa games, then when the Barca game popped up obviously i was interested. Went on the official site to buy, and the prices were around £300 on the official site

 

[Utd heap]

Thought id mention, last year i opted out of Europa games, then when the Barca game popped up obviously i was interested. Went on the official site to buy, and the prices were around £300 on the official site

These are the hospitality tickets we are referring too.

 

[clarkydaz]

These are the hospitality tickets we are referring too.

Ah, i assumed hospitality was a certain section, or box

 

[Utd heap]

Ah, i assumed hospitality was a certain section, or box

No, there are thousands available that are just a standard seat in the quadrants or other ares with access to a bar at HT (you pay your own way) and a pre match meal at the warehouse down the road pre KO.

 

[Rood]

They have e-mailed all season ticket holders (and members?):

Interesting (for ticket geeks like me anyway) response

Confirms that Hospitality tickets were a major problem

Weird that these fans didn't buy tickets from Galatasaray since they didn't sell out their allocation so suggests the majority were UK based fans

 

[ForeverRed1]

Imagine grown men getting annoyed because they're sat or stood next to the opposing club's fans.

It’s more the safety aspect of it.

 

[UnofficialDevil]

https://x.com/AndyMitten/status/1709315125872631997?s=20

The atmosphere at OT is fine - being out sung by 4k mental Turks at home would happen to 99% of teams in Europe let alone with the TRA on a game protest and the team in a horrid run.

There's loads to moan about with the state of the club, I wouldn't say this is one of them other than the club themselves running of ticketing as i've talked about above.

Nah, that's a lie.

 

[OmarUnited4ever]

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[Red00012]

2,000 x £40 roughly. = £80k for the Glazers

 

[Alex the Red]

Yes, pretty much. Go on the website now and look at Man City/Bayern/ other games at home, all the tickets that are available at inflated (£150-£499) hospitality prices are available for ANYONE to purchase - and they happen to be in the specific areas the Galatasary fans were in their biggest numbers (Stretford end execs, quadrants, ET2 etc).

Clearly English based Gala fans snapped these up.

The other part of the theory that Utd are reselling ST holders tickets that are legtimately returned as hospitality tickets I can't prove, and Utd are adamant they are not so I will very tentatively believe them on that for now with raised eyebrows.

Utd fans are feeling tetchy on all of this as over the last few years there have been repeated clampdowns on long standing ST holders just trying to pass on tickets to mates and family that has happened for decades - now you have to buy a forwarding membership, anyone not doing so is banned blah blah. It's created a tension between supporters and the club - this incident has just exacerbated it.

Add to that the shambles that is the online ticket system for members trying to access tickets, and the open selling of big priced hospitality while thousands of members cant get a sniff - and you get a nice melting pot.

I've typed this on a coach while hot and bothered so apologies if it could be more concise.

I agree. I have had membership for quite a few years and could usually get a ticket unless City or Liverpool. This was easier when you could do it by phone. Today is the first time I’ve been able to get tickets this season. Every time I tried I was in a queue thousands long and missed out. When I’ve seen ones online they have d as Keats been hospitality seats that are too expensive. I feel as if the areas that have hospitality are increasing.

 

[gregwar]

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The club sent an email out blaming ST holders selling their seats on.

Absolute c***s. I hate this club.

 

[Ayush727]

Dear Everyone,

I am a fan from Mongolia planning to go to Istanbul to watch the CL match on the 29th of November. I already purchased the ticket through Stubhub and my Passolig card is on its way. It seems like Galatasaray allocated only around 2500 tickets to Man UTD and all the others will be their fans in the stadium. So, I would like to ask you guys if there's anything that I need to consider before going to the Turk Telekom arena. Is it safe to be there as an away fan? And do I need to keep it quiet while supporting my team in front of the Turkish fans?
Also, if there are folks here in this forum who are going to Istanbul, where can I find the United fans there to meet and have a pint together before or after the match?

Thanks for your attention.
Ayush

 

[Rood]

Dear Everyone,

I am a fan from Mongolia planning to go to Istanbul to watch the CL match on the 29th of November. I already purchased the ticket through Stubhub and my Passolig card is on its way. It seems like Galatasaray allocated only around 2500 tickets to Man UTD and all the others will be their fans in the stadium. So, I would like to ask you guys if there's anything that I need to consider before going to the Turk Telekom arena. Is it safe to be there as an away fan? And do I need to keep it quiet while supporting my team in front of the Turkish fans?
Also, if there are folks here in this forum who are going to Istanbul, where can I find the United fans there to meet and have a pint together before or after the match?

Thanks for your attention.
Ayush

Probably better to post here to find out where United fans will congregate, although they are likely to be spread all over the city:
https://www.redcafe.net/threads/all...chasing-tickets.463569/page-227#post-31220109

I've done Galatasaray away back in 2012, the stadium is out of the centre with not much nearby, we lost but had already qualified so didn't matter.
The local fans were actually pretty welcoming pre-match but in the stadium you will need to keep quiet.

 

[SouthMancRed]

Do season tickets have the holder's photo on them?

 

[JB7]

Do season tickets have the holder's photo on them?

No, I'm not sure of any club that has ever done that though in fairness and it wouldn't have stopped something like this as separate tickets are issued for cup games. The season tickets are just like any other card you'd add to your Apple or Android wallet.

 

[SouthMancRed]

No, I'm not sure of any club that has ever done that though in fairness and it wouldn't have stopped something like this as separate tickets are issued for cup games. The season tickets are just like any other card you'd add to your Apple or Android wallet.

I was wondering because I wasn't sure how United would know if it was the actual season ticket holder that was at the game or if it had been passed on to a friend. A mate of mine had a pair of seasons a few years ago and I used them without any problem many times when he couldn't go. If they've moved from physical plastic cards to digital it does make it more difficult to pass on of course. Thank you.