Chelsea fans have asked the Premier League to investigate co-owner Todd Boehly’s links to a ticket resale site that offers some seats for thousands of dollars above face value.
Boehly is listed on the board of directors of Vivid Seats — a company cited by the league as an “unauthorised ticket website” and one that fans should “exercise extreme caution” when using.
Chelsea Supporters Trust published an open letter to the league CEO Richard Masters, saying it was time to “act and investigate.”
“Vivid Seats continues to list Premier League tickets for above face value at significantly inflated rates and our members have continued to indicate that Mr. Boehly’s connection with Vivid Seats is a breach of trust and a clear conflict of interest,” the Trust said in a statement.
“Not only does this undermine the efforts of Chelsea FC, the Premier League, and the Metropolitan Police to combat ticket touting (scalping),” the statement continued, “but Vivid Seats contravenes the Chelsea FC ticketing policy, and is explicitly named by the Premier League as a known unauthorised ticket website.”
Boehly and Clearlake Capital bought Chelsea for $2.5 billion in 2022. The American investor is also part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Vivid Seats sells tickets to sports and entertainment events. It lists tickets for sale for Chelsea games in the Premier League, Europa Conference League and the upcoming Club World Cup in the United States. Vivid also has an agreement with ESPN to be the company’s official ticketing partner.
A ticket for an upcoming home game against relegation-threatened Ipswich was listed at £990 ($1,275), while the asking price for some tickets for a May 3 game against league-leading Liverpool were more than £3,000 ($3,800). On Chelsea’s own website the top-price general admission adult ticket for a highest demand category AA game is £80 ($103).
The league warns fans against buying tickets from unauthorised sellers.
“If you buy tickets from an unauthorised source, whether that be an unauthorised website, an online marketplace or a ticket tout outside the ground, you risk not being given entry to the match and losing the money you paid,” it says in its guidelines.
Chelsea themselves describe unauthorised sales as an “increasing problem” and asks supporters to report ticket concerns.
On their website they say “it is illegal to sell, or to offer to sell, tickets to Chelsea Football Club matches without the authorization of the club.”
The Associated Press contacted Chelsea, representatives of Boehly and the league for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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