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A widespread illicit trade selling thousands of top-flight English football tickets was revealed through a recent investigation.

Firms based from overseas locations, including a small Swiss town with a resident count of four thousand, are believed to be behind the operation.

They are thought to be using memberships and automated programs to acquire passes in bulk through teams’ official ticketing platforms.

The resale of match passes is against the law in the UK, and the Premier League maintains an “unauthorised list” of websites.

Nevertheless, investigators managed to purchase tickets without difficulty through the black market for four of last weekend’s fixtures.

This activity has been labeled “widespread” in the UK game.

The recent local rivalry match was fully booked long in advance, but a pair of passes in the home section were purchased just days before the game.

Purchases were also made for fixtures at the Emirates, Everton, and West Ham.

At all four matches, journalists were admitted without issue using the passes.

However other supporters who used these platforms were not always successful, with some paying for non-working tickets.

These passes cost multiple times their face value, and several were sent via British mobiles on Whatsapp, in one case with strict directions to avoid speaking to stewards.

This revelation has prompted demands for clubs, the Premier League, and government to take stronger action to crack down on the illegal trade.

Fears exist that the size of the operation is creating barriers for supporters to obtain tickets from legitimate channels at face value – and also posing a potential safety threat to strict fan separation policies.

In response, teams said they were working hard in this field, and had already terminated many thousands of accounts and tickets.

Concern Activity is ‘Endemic Across the Sport’

The Premier League’s “banned” register of resale platforms includes over fifty sites.

Four platforms from this register were chosen for investigation based on their accessibility in the UK and apparent quantity of ticket offerings.

Altogether, these four sites listed many thousands of top-flight passes for purchase.

For example, more than 18,000 tickets were listed for one match by itself – almost a third of the venue’s capacity.

It was not possible to verify whether every these passes were authentic aside from the ones purchased.

Ticket security expert Reg Walker believes that “speculative listings” may explain the high numbers.

“Actually, likely only a fraction of those passes actually exist,” he added.

For context, a tenth would still mean many thousands of tickets for each round of top-division matches.

Costs observed varied between fifty-five pounds to nearly fifteen thousand pounds, often well above original cost and typically with a sizable service charge.

“We had a group of visitors from Japan who paid £2,200 for tickets with an £87 face value,” said the expert.

Passes were even offered for exclusive hospitality sections at top teams.

A leading fan group described the findings “very concerning”.

“It confirms what we've heard informally...this is becoming widespread across the game,” said an official.

“Loyal fans are finding it impossible to get passes because of the way they are distributed through secondary agencies.”

The Premier League did not respond on the findings.

Firms ‘Using a Loophole and Placing Fans at Danger’

The resale of match passes is illegal in the UK, except on a team-authorized platform – a measure brought in to prevent opposing supporters confronting each other.

But, the companies involved are based abroad – in a European country, a Gulf state, a EU nation, and Estonia – and beyond the reach of UK law.

Even so, they are all actively catering to UK buyers with digital marketing, and sellers from several of the sites reached out to reporters from UK mobile numbers.

One firm – incorporated in Germany – had multiple offices in a small Alpine town with a resident count of four thousand.

That company was the only entity to respond to the findings, sending a statement claiming it is a “reputable resale platform” and highlighting “the important role of secondary markets in promoting options and competition”.

In its statement said that it categorically rejects allegations of wrongdoing or potential illegal practices.

It argued that “regulations that completely prohibit ticket resale are meant to safeguard consumers but, in reality, only grant a monopoly for the organisers”.

They also requested the team to post a positive review on a review site if they had a “positive experience” at the venue.

“It appears there is a loophole where resellers are operating overseas that needs to be looked at in terms of legislation,” noted a representative.

“If we have a situation where fan separation is undermined to such an extent that you have opposing supporters in home sections, there is a risk for an altercation to occur.”

Within the Etihad Alongside the Home Team’s Dedicated Fans

Investigation found plenty of choice for the Manchester derby on the “banned” platform used just days prior to the fixture.

Opting for the least expensive pass available, the price was around multiple times the original price and was delivered via a digital transfer from a cell number a little while after.

It was sent with explicit directions.

The buyer was instructed not to speak to security staff, to “go inside the stadium 60 minutes before kick-off (not sooner)” and to delete the pass following the game “for security purposes”.

Adding to the unease, the buyer was advised – if questioned over the ticket – to claim and say it was a free gift, because stadium staff “are motivated to cancel passes”.

Despite such cautionary notes, the pass was read without issue. Without hesitation, admission was surprisingly straightforward.

Guidance also featured a request to avoid wearing opposing colours.

The reason is obvious why this advice is given. The pass was for a place in the home end, near one of the nets. The buyer was seated among many of the home team’s most passionate fans.

Supporters from multiple clubs have become increasingly frustrated by rival supporters sitting in home areas.

This visit highlighted the degree to which unauthorized platforms can undermine safety measures designed to separate opposing supporters apart in the interests of security.

‘It’s an Ongoing Battle’

None of the firms involved would disclose details of the exact method employed to obtain passes at such scale.