Arsenal have banned 20,000 fans from getting tickets for the Emirates. A number of supporters have also had their season tickets removed with the club confirming a huge crackdown on regulations for the 2024/25 campaign.
It follows reported talks with the Arsenal Advisory Board, with a number of tickets for the stadium thought to have been touted last season.
Those found to have 'insufficiently used' their own tickets have also been punished.
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According to a report in the Evening Standard, the club held investigations and concuded that 20,000 members, and 54 season-ticket holders, had tried to obtain tickets in unauthorised ways as the Gunners pushed for the Premier League title. Those deemed to have offended will now not be able to attend club home games for the foreseeable future.
And the club are now set to increase their investment in anti-touting measures. This will include boosting resources to track down offenders online.
A further 24 fans are said to have their season tickets taken off them, but not for touting offences. At the start of last season, the club put in place a rule that required supporters to use their season ticket for a minimum of 17 matches.
Those unable to attend a fixture were asked to make their season ticket available on Arsenal’s Ticket Exchange or Ticket Transfer platform. The policy was designed to ensure that as many of the 60,704 seats in the stadium were filled for every match.
And the regulation has been made more stringent for 2024/25. Fans will need to use their season ticket for at least 20 home Premier League or Champions League fixtures to ensure they retain it.
The club ballot system will remain in place though. Under current rules, members who apply for 20 or more ballots without success do get the opportunity to buy an indivudal seat for a selection of games.
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After initial criticism of the noise levels in Arsenal's new home following their move from Highbury in 2005, fans were credited for creating an electric atmosphere as the team have battled it out with Manchester City in the last two years. And on the final day of the season, manager Mikel Arteta credited them for getting behind the team.
“All this happened because you started believing," he said on a microphone. "You decided to be patient, you starting to understand what we were trying to do."