UNITED are being taken to court by an angry Reds' fan over their controversial automatic cup ticket scheme.
County Court papers have been served on the club by Old Trafford season-ticket holder John Mayall.
United have until July 19 to respond, when they will have to admit or defend the claim, before a date is set for a hearing.
United introduced the compulsory ACS scheme forcing fans to join up and buy up to a potential £500 worth of additional home cup tickets whether they can attend or not.
Reds fans were already aggrieved by season ticket rises of up to 13-14 per cent rise. The Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) is backing Mayall's fight and has engaged a law firm, Underwoods, to help with initial advice.
MUST is also talking to another major City of London firm on ways of challenging the compulsory cup ticket scheme but as such an action is complex and potentially expensive, the quickest and most cost effective route initially is to support an individual member's claim in the County Court.
Breach
It is understood a list of more than 100 are considering taking similar action.
MUST member Mayall, who is the first to bring about the action based on a breach of contract, renewed season tickets for himself and his son in May at a cost of £1,444, receiving confirmation that his purchase had been successful and that the tickets would be delivered in June.
United then wrote to him refusing to supply the paid-for tickets unless he joined the ACS, which would commit him to purchase cup tickets for all home matches at unspecified cost likely to amount to hundreds of pounds.
Mayall and his son have not joined the ACS and United officials have been unmoved by his efforts to persuade them that he and his son will not be able to go to midweek games due to cost and school commitments.
He says, United are threatening to stop me and my son from attending Premiership games using the season tickets we have already bought unless we also join the automatic cup ticketing scheme.
This would add hundreds of pounds each to the £1444 I have already paid for our season tickets. Its disgraceful.
“I think the ACS (Automatic Cup Scheme) should be renamed the BCS - the blank cheque scheme. They expect fans to enter into a contract obliging them to buy all cup tickets for all three competitions without knowing what they will cost.
Outrageous
In my understanding they could charge outrageous prices for these tickets after fans have signed up and there is nothing they could do about it. I think the OFT should look into this.
United fans can dispose of any unwanted cup tickets via the clubs own system Viagogo but crucially fans cannot sell their unwanted tickets until United have sold all their own.
Mayall adds, If the Glazers think unwanted tickets for evening cup games would be that easy for fans to sell on through Viagogo then I dont understand why they are trying to force us to by them in the first place.
Why dont they just sell them themselves? MUST Chairman Nick Towle said, As a supporters trust, MUST is responding to the anger of match-going members who have asked us to do something about this decision.
We dont recommend legal action against our club lightly, but attempts to change minds about this have been brushed off. This decision clearly comes from the Glazers, against the advice of senior management we understand, so that they can get fans to pay off more of the debts they took out to buy the club. This shows contempt for many thousands of loyal Reds.
A United spokesman said: “We can confirm we have received the claim but we are not going to comment at the moment.”
What do you think? HAve your say.
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Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All
Brian (14/07/2007 at 07:32)
Duncan, Whalley Range (14/07/2007 at 08:38)
Robbo, North Stand (14/07/2007 at 09:28)
Roy (14/07/2007 at 09:58)
Bob Wilson (see link) laments the way money is changing the game. You need money to buy top players and pay their wages but what is the value of the Man U brand without the fans?
www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml;jsessionid=USI332Q4Q0XZFQFIQMGCFF4AVCBQUIV0?xml=/sport/2007/07/14/sfnbob114.xml
ALFIE (14/07/2007 at 10:23)
Father Neil (14/07/2007 at 10:32)
Abracadbra, Stalyvegas (14/07/2007 at 10:35)
A Mancunian, Manchester (14/07/2007 at 11:07)
DUBLIN BLUE (14/07/2007 at 11:25)
MCFC 8 DAYS IN THE BLACK AND COUNTING
RedRainmaker (14/07/2007 at 11:32)
Frank Old Trafford (14/07/2007 at 12:20)
Obviously the club wants to guarantee its income and possibly reduce administration costs but clearly they aren't going to get away with it or at least not without antagonising thousands of loyal fans. They should back down on this one because they stand to lose far more than they can gain.
The feel good factor enveloping the club these days is greater than it has been for many a year and to risk losing that initiative should be reason enough to withdraw this cup scheme. However the greatest reason, I think, is far more simple. In previous seasons in the early rounds we have been subjected to watching reserve teams full of unknowns bolstered by star names like DF, JOS and Bardsley but this season our second string will include Nani, Anderson, Rossi, Wes, Ole, Pique, Gaby or Evra, possibly Smith, Tevez or Saha, Carrick or OH, as well as DF, JOS and Bardsley. In other words a team well worth seeing which will probably translate into greater ticket sales and the club would reduce the loss to its precious income, which as far as I know half goes to the opposition in cup games.
The Glazers have, as common sense would dictate, decided that the best way to protect their investment is to give the fans a team they want to see and maximise their title chances. In fact it is the only way to protect their investment or risk losing their global fans who have an insatiable hunger for the biggest names in football. Considering that Real Madrid recently revealed that they had made 300 million pounds from Beckham making his transfer fee insignificant, as well as all the fans that United lost to Madrid in Asia.
The heir to Beckham's throne as the most commercially profitable player is without a doubt his successor to United's number 7 shirt. Ronaldo's good looks, flashy football and love of the limelight will guarantee that he will generate a massive income for the club that may even surpass Beckham. Add to him Roo, Nani, Anderson and even pretty boy Tevez and the commercial income that they will produce then it makes this summer's investment very shrewd indeed.
All of which means that it's not worth upsetting the fans for relatively little gain. I hope that the club sees sense and backs down on this and that all United fans can go into the new season united in the expectation of seeing some great football.
And well done to Mayall and MUST for standing up for their rights, I hope that they get a favourable result.
TM (14/07/2007 at 13:00)
This is nothing short of criminal/corrupt scheme for the Glazers and Viaggo to scam money out of Season Ticket holders.
Put the scheme back to voluntary.
John gets my support and I shall be following this very closely indeed.
Jack Thorley, Trafford (14/07/2007 at 13:16)
Boosan, Gateshead (14/07/2007 at 13:25)
I too was'forced' into the Automatic Cup Scheme. If I didn't sign up then my season ticket would not be allocated to me. This is grossly unfair and takes away a person's choice of wether to attend or not.
I moved from Salford to the north east many moons ago and as time goes on I find it inreasingly difficult to attend midweek games due to work and family commitments. To attend such games would mean using my hard earned holiday allocation for EVERY midweek game played by United. On top of that, there is the cost of transport to and from Old Trafford so in effect the cost is even higher. This is something the club doesn't seem or want to take into account.
Also, what happens to my ticket that I can't attend or sell for say a home League Cup game against Morecambe for example..??? Do you think the club will give me a refund...??? NO!
This stinks of yet another 'lets fleece the fans' scam.
Good luck to Mr Mayall and MUST. Let's hope you are successful with your rightful challenge for the good of football.
Pie in the Sky, Manchester (14/07/2007 at 13:40)
Adrian Lucas (14/07/2007 at 16:26)
Tommy (14/07/2007 at 19:18)
The ACS is all about grabbing money from loyal fans to pay back the debts. Nothing more. It should not have to be compulsory and is another example of the Glazers' greed.
Peter Chappell (15/07/2007 at 01:32)
Dear M-E-N
Yes this automatic cup scheme is a farce akin to blackmail..!
I've just forked out 856 quid for my season ticket in South Stand, and received a threatening letter,shortly after, advising me that I had not yet joined the ACS.This was necessary to receive my Season ticket..Otherwise no Season ticket... I,ve been going to Old Trafford since 1967,when I use to queue up at Warwick Road and beyond to get to the Stretford End turnstile at 1'o clock to pay 1/6 to get through the junior turnstile.
This was long before the Yankee-Doodle-Dandy..Glazer had ever heard of my beloved club.Who does he think he is?
It's the working class of Manchester that formed our club. This should never be forgotten...!
By the way last season was a great success and I,m sure this coming season will be too,but don,t twist our arm Glazer.Don't bring American style business to Manchester pal. By the way, last season before the European Cup game v Roma,I received a letter from MU telling me that due to UEFA regulations my seat in South Stand would not be available to myself, as they had to find extra seating for UEFA dignataries and press.Therefore I could still get a ticket, but not in my usual seat,I could purchase another seat somewhere else in the ground... If this is not a kick in the face'.. well what else is? Why could'nt they put these cronies in inferior seating instead of me...! Where were these same cronies in the Carling Cup games at Old Trafford? One other thing while I'm on a roll.. When are they going to give us our original club crest back? The one that say's Manchester United Football Club... Our Club the Fans Club..not all these lar-de dars with the most money..
True Red for ever ..while I've got the dosh.. M.U.F.C.
King Arthur of Crewe (15/07/2007 at 02:27)
The acs system is a mockery and causes complications. The fans have been shown no loyalty in respect of returning to oldtrafford and are being used to plough more and more money into the hands of shrewd business men that use Football Clubs to increase thier wealth and have no concern over the clubs future or long term financial stability! I found it comical that Final tickets are excluded.
The glazer buisness objectives are as expected
United Nanny, Derbyshire (15/07/2007 at 14:03)
Sandgrounder, Southport (15/07/2007 at 14:14)
Do our overpaid players get tickets? Yes. Do they pay for them? I doubt it.
I am surprised that good socialist Sir Alex hasn't come out and supported the fans over this.
Sandgrounder
Stuart Pyper (15/07/2007 at 14:17)
karen carway (15/07/2007 at 14:20)
Sue T, Howden (15/07/2007 at 14:28)
Making the ACS compulsory is nothing short of immoral and I wrote to Mr Gill asking him to explain the clubs actions. He chose not to reply himself, but passed my comments on twice to other departments. In the end, I chicken out and joined the scheme but I wish I'd been braver .....
limboland, manchester (15/07/2007 at 15:24)
I like many others have signed up for my season ticket but have refused to sign up for the ACS and I AM NOT GOING TO.
The ACS policy is just wrong and the sooner Ferguson Gill Chalton stand up to Glazer and tell him this the better
The club have £ 630 of mine sitting in the clubs bank since early June and even after being treated so shodderly by the club I am still prepared to take my season ticket without the ACS
30 years and at 800 plus home games is about to go down the grid - get a grip United now before you lose several thousand life long reds.