- Manchester United fans have been accused of ‘widespread misuse’ of away tickets
- It was claimed that some had posed as disabled fans to enter away matches.
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We used to laugh at Lou Todd and Andy Pipkin in Little Britain because the concept seemed so outrageous.
The idea of a healthy man tricking his good but gullible partner into pushing him in a wheelchair when he was perfectly capable of walking seemed too far-fetched to be true.
However, the accusation that Manchester United fans have posed as disabled fans to take part in away games this season is no laughing matter. In fact, it’s downright embarrassing.
What kind of person takes a ticket intended for a disabled fan and then goes so far as to purchase a wheelchair to enter a stadium to watch a football match? The kind of idiots who think you won’t see them jumping and celebrating a goal in the next game.
And what about the people who facilitate it in the first place? The disabled ticket holder who may be complicit in the scam and any middlemen who want to make a few quid?
Manchester United have been hit with heartbreaking allegations that “trash” fans are posing as disabled fans to get valuable tickets for away games.
What kind of person takes a ticket intended for a disabled fan and then goes so far as to purchase a wheelchair to enter a stadium to watch a football match?
Because, as Chas Banks, secretary of the Manchester United Disabled Fans Association, points out, this is not a victimless crime. Other disabled fans are being denied a precious opportunity to watch their team play. “I promise you, for many of them, time is not on their side,” he says.
Banks has dedicated herself to helping those less fortunate. Two years ago he was appointed MBE for his services to people with disabilities in Greater Manchester and the north-west of England, so he was understandably outraged when he raised the allegations at a recent fans forum.
“Scum” was the word he used, and it’s hard to think of a better one.
It is fair to point out that the problem may exist at other football clubs in the country where interest is high and tickets are scarce. But it has come to light at United, where the club has had to resort to high-tech measures to keep out unscrupulous fans.
Those fans have rightly been labeled “trash” for their attempts to watch United.
The people behind this should be ashamed of themselves and it is downright embarrassing.
Last week, Mail Sport revealed that United had implemented plans to beat scalpers by locking digital tickets on specific devices and hiding QR codes to scan at turnstiles up to three hours before kick-off.
But in addition to greater ID security, how would they weed out impostors in wheelchairs without subjecting disabled fans to degrading checks? As always, the innocent would pay the price.
The people behind this should be ashamed of themselves.
