Liverpool issue bans as £1.2m seized from ticket touts

What the report says

BBC Sport reports that Liverpool have imposed more than 400 lifetime bans following a joint effort with Merseyside Police targeting illegal ticket sales. The action came after police seized assets worth more than £1.2 million linked to organised ticket touting. According to the report, Liverpool worked with police on an operation focused on criminal proceeds from illicit ticket sales, alongside the club’s own measures against touting online and around matches.

The club has issued 432 lifetime bans and 115 indefinite suspensions to people found to have been involved. Detective Chief Inspector Nick Suffield said the operation showed effective cooperation between police and the club, and framed the action as a way to protect genuine supporters trying to buy tickets. BBC Sport reported that the seized money was divided between Merseyside Police and the Home Office.

The latest sanctions build on a wider Liverpool crackdown. BBC Sport previously reported that the club closed 145,000 ticket accounts over two years. Last season, Liverpool reviewed nearly 700,000 ticket registrations, blocked or cancelled 67,663 accounts suspected of being fake, and had a further 121,379 accounts under investigation. In the 2025-26 season, 3,847 tickets were cancelled over suspicious buying patterns and returned to general admission sale.

The issue matters because ticket touting can inflate prices, reduce access for regular fans and create risks around invalid or mis-sold tickets. BBC Sport also reported that Liverpool increased targeted matchday checks at Anfield and away fixtures, with an average of 300 stops per home match.