Consumer group FanFair Alliance has reported Vivid Seats, a company part-owned by Chelsea chair Todd Boehly, to watchdogs for alleged illegal ticket touting.

Chelsea fans have described the involvement of Boehly, the highest-profile member of the club’s US ownership group, as a “breach of trust” after it emerged this week.

Vivid Seats offers tickets to Chelsea and Premier League clubs on its resale platform, often at a high mark-up – a criminal offence in football following the Hillsborough disaster in 1989.

“Given the ongoing controversies around online ticket touting, I’m not surprised that so many football fans are unhappy about the links between Chelsea’s Todd Boehly and Vivid Seats,” Adam Webb, campaign manager of FanFair Alliance, told City AM.

“The FanFair campaign shares their concerns, and we have already sent multiple complaints to the Competition & Markets Authority and the Advertising Standards Authority about how this platform is marketing and reselling tickets for British music events. 

“I would like to publicly urge both the CMA and the ASA to act upon those complaints and ensure Vivid Seats complies with UK consumer law.”

Tickets listed on Vivid Seats for £19k

Vivid Seats sells the majority of its tickets to foreign-based fans, sometimes for thousands of pounds. The company also takes a 10 per cent commission and service fee.

The Football Supporters’ Association told City AM: “The FSA opposes resellers who place themselves between club and fan with the sole intention of making money—we’d encourage clubs to use their in-house systems. Supporters should have access to tickets at a fair price.

“Ticket ‘resellers’ who wedge themselves between club and fan with the sole intention of gouging supporters and making money must be targeted by the authorities.”

Like other Premier League clubs, Chelsea have condemned the practice and promised sanctions for anyone involved. This includes removing season tickets or preventing individuals from attending games, with the possibility of criminal sanctions.

Chelsea have said that tickets sold for more than face value or bought from a tout, an unauthorised online ticket agency, or a reselling platform, will be invalid and the buyers could be refused entry or ejected from the stadium.

Though Vivid Seats states on its website that any events for which it sells tickets must take place in the US and be sold to US residents, Premier League tickets have appeared on the platform.