Liverpool issue over 400 lifetime bans in conjuction with Merseyside Police

Liverpool issue over 400 lifetime bans in conjuction with Merseyside Police Liverpool Ticket Touting Crackdown Sees 432 Lifetime Bans After £1.2m Seized Liverpool have drawn a hard line on ticket touting, and about time too. The club has handed out 432 lifetime bans and 115 indefinite suspensions after a major operation targeting the illegal sale of match tickets. More than £1.2m in assets linked to organised touts was seized, underlining the scale of a racket that has been feeding off supporters for far too long. This was not some token gesture designed for headlines. It was a coordinated effort between the club and Merseyside Police, aimed at the laundering of criminal proceeds generated through illicit ticket sales. At a club where demand always outstrips supply, there will always be people trying to exploit loyalty, desperation and habit. Liverpool have decided that enough is enough. Liverpool ticket touting crackdown gathers pace The numbers tell their own story. Over the previous two years, 145,000 ticket accounts were shut down as part of the wider Liverpool ticket touting crackdown. During the 2025-26 season alone, the club examined nearly 700,000 ticket registrations. Of those, 67,663 suspected fake accounts were blocked or cancelled, while another 121,379 remain under investigation. There were also 3,847 tickets cancelled because of suspicious purchasing activity last season. Those seats were returned to the market as general admission tickets, which meant more genuine supporters had a proper chance of getting into Anfield. Anfield ticket bans protect genuine supporters Matchdays have also seen a far tougher approach. The club increased targeted stops at turnstiles, with an average of 300 checks per home game at Anfield. Similar work was carried out at away fixtures in the Premier League and in Europe. The intention is plain enough, keep dodgy tickets and suspect accounts away from the ground, and make it harder for the black market to breathe. Police welcomed the joint effort, saying: “This is a fantastic example of partnership working between ourselves and Liverpool Football Club for the good of the fans and the general public.” They added: “We will always take action to protect genuine fans who fall victim to touts when all they are trying to do is simply purchase tickets to support their team.” Merseyside Police and Liverpool send clear message The cash seized has since been divided between Merseyside Police and the Home Office. The bigger point, though, is the message sent. Ticket touting around Liverpool is being treated like organised crime because, in practice, that is what it looks like. For ordinary fans, that is a fight worth having. For the touts, the warning could hardly be clearer.