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Chelsea supporters have accused Todd Boehly of a “breach of trust” and a potential conflict of interest over his co-ownership of a website selling tickets to the club’s games and other Premier League matches to foreign tourists.
Boehly is a director and investor in Vivid Seats, an American site that allows users outside the United Kingdom to buy and sell tickets to concerts and sporting events, often at huge mark-ups. British fans cannot use the site or others like it because it is illegal to resell football tickets in this way in the UK. The Premier League lists Vivid Seats as an “unauthorised ticket website”.
Thee issue has been a topic of much discussion among Chelsea fans, with many on social media complaining it has become impossible for members to buy tickets to home and away games. There were already concerns within the fanbase about ticket touting, leading the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust to conduct a survey of its members about the issue.
The CST found that only 17% of supporters have confidence in the club to tackle touting and anger was expressed at Vivid Seats’ connection with Boehly, who became Chelsea’s co-owner and chairman in 2022. Vivid Seats charges 10% commission, plus a service fee. Chelsea have previously denounced ticket holders who sell on their seats for profit.
The CST said: “Vivid Seats currently lists hundreds of Chelsea FC General Admission tickets at significantly inflated prices. As these tickets are not sold by the Chelsea FC website, they are considered by the club to be ‘illegal sales’.
“Within the recent CST ticket touting survey, many CST members suggested that Mr Boehly’s connection with Vivid Seats is a ‘breach of trust’ and could be a conflict of interest. These recent reports are very disappointing, and it is within Mr Boehly’s best interests to investigate these issues and address supporters’ concerns – we do not believe it is appropriate for any Chelsea tickets or wider Premier League tickets to be listed on the Vivid Seats website.”
The CST brought the findings of its survey to the club. More than two-thirds of fans think touts are a problem and 68% believe that not enough is being done by the club to combat it.
The trust said: “The alarming findings of this survey have indicated that supporters do not have faith or trust in Chelsea FC to combat ticket touting and that the club has failed to protect its loyal supporters from the ongoing exploitation of ticket touting.
“It is vital that the club provides immediate reassurances to supporters and must demonstrate that they are taking effective action to combat ticket touting through greater communication, stricter resale policies and sanctions, and additional enforcement against illegal ticket selling.
“Despite warnings from the CST, the trend of data indicates that supporters have become increasingly dissatisfied with anti-touting measures in place at Chelsea FC over the past two-three years.
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“Now is the time to take proper, meaningful steps to address this. This is not simply about ticketing, this is about respecting and protecting the lifeblood of Chelsea FC – its supporters.”
Vivid Seats says on its website: “Vivid Seats is a legitimate and reliable ticket marketplace for EPL tickets. Vivid Seats is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) with an A+ rating, has over a million five-star reviews on ShopperApproved, a 4.1-star rating on Trustpilot, and a 4.7-star rating on the Apple Store app. We have a Buyer Guarantee that is designed to provide full peace of mind, safety, and security for our valued customers.”
Chelsea and Boehly have been contacted for comment.
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