Vivid Seats, a platform co-owned by Boehly, is under fire for allegedly selling Premier League tickets at inflated prices
Chelsea supporters are up in arms after reports emerged that club owner Todd Boehly is linked to Vivid Seats, a U.S.-based ticketing website accused of unauthorized resale of Premier League tickets. This revelation has drawn particular ire from fans who see it as hypocritical, given Chelsea’s longstanding efforts to clamp down on ticket touting—a practice criminalized in the UK since the Hillsborough disaster of 1989.
According to a report from Telegraph Sport, Boehly, who is both an investor and director at Vivid Seats, could be involved in a practice that starkly contradicts Chelsea FC’s public stance against ticket reselling. The club has repeatedly vowed to tackle illegal ticket sales, stating on its website last year:
“Chelsea FC is committed to tackling ticket touting, for both home and away matches. We identify individuals who fraudulently harvest tickets or memberships to sell at vastly inflated prices, investigate both online and offline illegal ticket sales, and use a range of tactics and enforcement measures to combat ticket touting.”
However, Vivid Seats is reportedly engaging in the unauthorized resale of tickets for Premier League matches—including those for Chelsea—targeting foreign tourists. Under UK law, such resale practices are illegal. The website is said to charge a 10% commission plus a service fee ranging between 20% to 40% of the original ticket price, creating the potential for substantial profit for its owners.
Unsurprisingly, Chelsea fans have expressed their displeasure. One fan told the Telegraph, “The fact that our owner could be benefiting personally at the expense of loyal supporters is hypocritical at best and downright dishonest at worst. Touting is a huge issue at Chelsea right now, and there are fewer and fewer tickets available for fans to buy at face value.”
Vivid Seats, listed by the Premier League as an “unauthorized ticketing website,” claims that its platform is only for events taking place in the United States and for customers residing there. When questioned about how it could be listing Premier League matches, the company refused to comment further on the specifics.
In response to the controversy, Boehly’s company released a statement clarifying its position:
“As a global business, we are always respectful and cognizant of local regulatory policies and procedures in every market to ensure compliance. Our policy restricts the sale of EPL tickets from UK sellers, and we can confirm that we do not have any UK sellers listing EPL inventory on our marketplace. Additionally, Vivid Seats has never directly marketed or advertised Premier League tickets to UK customers. Our longstanding and respectful partnership with Chelsea, announced in 2023 during their first-ever Premier League pre-season tournament in the USA, remains unaffected. Regarding pricing, Vivid Seats does not set the base ticket price nor receive revenue from it; that is determined solely by the seller.”
Despite the statement, the controversy has already stirred significant debate among fans and critics alike. With ticket prices for high-demand games soaring—Liverpool’s final home match against Crystal Palace, for example, is being listed at prices ranging from £1,622 to £17,672—the issue of unauthorized ticket sales and profit at the expense of fans remains a hot topic. As the season progresses, all eyes will be on whether Chelsea and its owners can reconcile these conflicting practices with the club’s commitment to protecting its loyal supporters.
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