Brighton thwart ticket scam

Simon Stone, BBC Sport

Brighton blocked 150 mostly Liverpool fans from gaining entry to the home section of the Amex Stadium for last weekend’s FA Cup fourth round tie after the Premier League club uncovered a scam involving ticket touts.

They discovered touts had set up multiple fake accounts to buy tickets for the game from the club and before re-selling them for up to £250.

Once the club realised what was happening, they blocked the tickets, so the people holding them were unable to get into the stadium to watch the game, which Brighton won 2-1.

“It's an absolutely shameless exploitation of football fans,” said Brighton’s head of supporter services Jenny Gower. “Those who have fallen victim to this scam should contact their banks or credit card company to recover their funds.

“We understand that there are fans who are desperate to see their team but they were being charged up to £250 for tickets, which were essentially worthless.”