Over 1,000 Liverpool Fans Handed Lifetime Bans over Ticketing Issues – Report | OneFootball

Liverpool Take Strong Action Against Ticket Touting

Liverpool have escalated their fight against ticket touting with a remarkable 1,114 lifetime bans issued to supporters and the closure of 45,000 fake accounts. Andy Jones of The Athletic reported the details, noting the significant rise from the 75 bans handed out in the 2023-24 campaign. This decisive stance underlines the club’s zero-tolerance approach to those exploiting genuine supporters.

Lifetime bans highlight zero-tolerance stance

The scale of the sanctions speaks volumes. “Of the lifetime bans issued in the most recent operations, almost half of those imposed were the result of discovering a mass manipulation of software,” the report revealed. Investigators also dismantled 162 social media groups with more than one million members trading in fake tickets or engaging in extortionate resale.

Liverpool cancelled 1,500 tickets last season and issued 136 indefinite suspensions, but the most recent figures show how much the club has strengthened its approach. Supporters found involved in unauthorised sales of season tickets, memberships, or hospitality packages have borne the brunt of the punishments.

Technology at the heart of the crackdown

The battle is being fought on multiple fronts. “They believe that the new preventative measures including multi-factor authentication, single sign-on and the implementation of more advanced fraud analysis tools have been key to this,” Andy Jones reported. These innovations have already contributed to a noticeable reduction in fake accounts being uncovered.

The work is not limited to digital safeguards. Liverpool deployed greater resources on the ground during the 2024-25 season, with nearly 400 targeted stops made on matchdays. Almost 500 people were denied entry to Anfield when attempting to use burner phones, which have been linked to suspicious ticketing activity.

Demand continues to exceed supply

Recent success under Arne Slot has only increased demand to watch the reigning Premier League champions. The expanded Anfield capacity of more than 62,000 remains unable to match the appetite for tickets. With 28,000 season ticket holders, 11,000 hospitality seats and around 3,000 allocated to visiting supporters, the remainder are sold via ballot to members.

The imbalance inevitably creates a market for touts, yet the club’s proactive approach aims to protect loyal supporters from exploitation. With investigations into 10,000 further accounts ongoing, Liverpool are far from finished in their fight.

Protecting supporters for the long term

By investing in both advanced systems and in-person checks, Liverpool have laid down a marker for how top-flight clubs can protect their match-going fans. The drop in fake accounts and the strong messaging around lifetime bans suggest these measures are beginning to yield results. The message is clear: those who seek to profit from the passion of others will be held accountable.

Our View – Anfield Index Analysis

As Liverpool supporters, this report is hugely encouraging. For too long, genuine fans have struggled to get their hands on tickets while touts and organised groups exploited the system. To hear that the club have now issued more than 1,000 lifetime bans and closed tens of thousands of fake accounts feels like a victory for fairness.

The use of technology such as multi-factor authentication and advanced fraud analysis tools shows that Liverpool are not standing still. The crackdown on burner phones at the turnstiles also underlines how serious they are about ensuring only legitimate supporters make it through the gates.

Arne Slot’s side are reigning champions and the demand to watch them is sky-high. This makes it even more important to protect the integrity of ticket sales. The expansion to over 62,000 seats has helped, but with tens of thousands of members competing in ballots, the temptation for fraudsters remains. The club’s zero-tolerance approach is the right answer.

For the fans, it builds trust. Every ban, every shut-down account, every blocked attempt at the turnstiles means a little more hope that genuine supporters will be rewarded with access. That is how it should be. This report confirms that Liverpool are prepared to act decisively to make it happen.