Tickets for next week's sold-out friendly between Manchester United and Leeds United at Croke Park are being offered for resale online at prices reaching up to €450, prompting renewed concerns over the enforcement of Ireland's anti-ticket touting laws.
The match, scheduled for next Wednesday, originally went on sale earlier this year with adult tickets priced at €50 and children's tickets at €25. However, a number of tickets are now listed on secondary resale websites at several times their original value.
The listings have reignited debate over the effectiveness of legislation designed to prevent ticket touting at designated venues, including Croke Park, where selling tickets above face value is prohibited.
Fine Gael TD John Clendennen has called on both An Garda Síochána and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) to investigate the listings and take enforcement action where appropriate.
“This is a sold-out, family-friendly fixture at a stadium which has been legally designated to prevent this kind of price-gouging, and yet the tickets are sitting openly on resale sites at multiples of their face value,” he said.
Speaking on Newstalk on Friday, Deputy Clendennen said he was disappointed that the practice appeared to be continuing despite the legislation.
“I'm frustrated myself, and that's why I'm highlighting it,” he said.
He questioned whether additional enforcement powers or resources were needed to tackle the issue more effectively.
“It's not acceptable just to let this pass by and say, 'oh there's another event, and there were a few tickets sold above face value.' We need to get to the nub of this,” he added.
The latest controversy has renewed calls for stronger oversight of online ticket resale platforms and stricter enforcement of anti-touting laws ahead of major sporting and entertainment events.
