Manchester United apologise for “unacceptable” ticket fiasco during clash vs. Galatasaray – Man United News And Transfer News

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Manchester United have apologised to supporters for an incident during the game vs. Galatasaray that saw hundreds of the opposing team’s supporters end up in the Old Trafford home section.

United were heavily criticised by their own fans for lapses which allowed it to happen.

Erik ten Hag’s men were beaten 3-2 by the Turkish giants to remain firmly bottom of Group A on zero points.

After the game, several video clips emerged on social media that showed Galatasaray fans celebrating all around the stadium.

The Peoples Person covered a report which noted details of an investigation launched by the club in an effort to determine how the Galatasaray faithful obtained access to the home section.

The club’s chief operating officer Collette Roche spoke about the matter and made clear the results of United’s investigations in public findings published on Friday.

Roche blamed bots for managing to procure dozens of seats in the South Stand. These tickets were then distributed via ticket touts and other third-party vendors.

It’s understood that these bots led the club to believe the tickets were bought by official members, most of whom were under the age of 16.

Roche remarked, “Our system showed that these tickets were predominantly 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.”

“Whilst this [club’s current sales policy] 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.”

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

Roche responded to allegations levelled against United that they have been “touting” their own tickets by reselling general admission seats donated to the Manchester United Foundation. She denied this vehemently.

The Red Devils also refuted claims that stewards allowed Galatasaray fans to freely get into the home end. They indicated that the stewards actually prevented a large number of them from going in but were overwhelmed by the large number of people involved.

It’s also claimed that travelling fans who caused problems were ejected from the stadium.