Chelsea ROCKED by Boehly scandal: Fans fume over ‘DISHONEST’ owner

Robin Bairner

• 5 Feb 2025 04:30 CST
• 3 min read

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly finds himself locked in a ticketing scandal involving Premier League rivals Liverpool.

The Independent reports that Boehly is a director and investor at Vivid Seats, a company that allows the resale of tickets to Chelsea matches and other Premier League fixtures to foreign tourists.

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Although not available to UK-based fans, which would be illegal, Vivid Seats allows users to tout tickets for many times their face value, with the prices sometimes running to tens of thousands of pounds.

The Independent claims, for example, that there are tickets available for Liverpool’s final game of the season – which will be against Crystal Palace at Anfield - that are priced at £17,000.

This is despite a clause on Vivid Seats’ website that users must be based in the USA and the event must take place in the US.

Chelsea is a club that has been particularly hit with touting issues in recent seasons, prompting the Blues to make a public stand against the practice.

“Chelsea FC is committed to tackling ticket touting, for both home and away matches,” the clubs said on its own website. “We identify individuals who fraudulently harvest tickets/memberships to sell at vastly inflated prices, investigate both online and offline illegal ticket sales, and use a range of tactics and enforcement measures that help to combat ticket touting.

“Supporters found to be selling their ticket for more than face value will be subject to a club investigation and sanctions, including the removal of season tickets, memberships and access to the away match ticket scheme.”

Chelsea fans fume

Boehly faces the wrath of Chelsea fans over the issue.

One was quoted by The Telegraph as saying: “The fact that our owner could be benefiting personally at the expense of loyal supporters is hypocritical at best and downright dishonest at worst.

“Touting is a huge issue at Chelsea at the moment and it’s getting worse. There are fewer and fewer tickets available for supporters on a general admission, match-by-match basis.”

With the resale of football tickets illegal in the UK, the issue of Boehly’s company driving a black market for Premier League tickets is liable to see a renewed debate of whether the current laws are tight enough.