The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust (CST) has written to Richard Masters, the Premier League’s chief executive, regarding Todd Boehly’s involvement with Vivid Seats.
Boehly, a minority shareholder and chairman at Chelsea, is a director at Vivid Seats, a website that allows the resale of Premier League match tickets — including to Chelsea games — for thousands of pounds above face value.
The American ticketing company is listed on the Premier League’s website as an “unauthorised ticket website”, with the league urging fans to “exercise extreme caution” when using it and other ticket exchange companies.
In the open letter sent to Masters, the CST penned that “Mr Boehly’s connection with Vivid Seats is totally inappropriate and significantly undermines the efforts of Chelsea FC, The Premier League, and The Metropolitan Police to combat ticket touting”.
A CST spokesperson described Boehly’s connection to Vivid Seats as a “breach of trust” and a “clear conflict of interest”.
“Vivid Seats continues to list Premier League tickets for above face value at significantly inflated rates,” a CST spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Not only does this undermine the efforts of Chelsea FC, The Premier League, and The Metropolitan Police to combat ticket touting, but Vivid Seats contravenes the Chelsea FC ticketing policy, and is explicitly named by the Premier League as a known unauthorised ticket website.
“We believe that now is the time for the Premier League to act swiftly and ensure that a major shareowner of a Premier League club ceases facilitating the sale of tickets for significantly above face value.”
(Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Tickets advertised on Vivid Seats for Chelsea’s upcoming game against Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on April 3 range from £144 to over £2,000, while tickets for the match at home to Liverpool on May 2 are priced between £442 and over £3,200.
UK-based supporters are unable to use Vivid Seats or other ticket exchange sites similar to it to buy tickets to top-flight games due it being against British law to resell tickets in this manner.
The CST’s letter to Masters was supported by the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), who said, “It is clear the Premier League needs to take action.”
“Clubs, supporters’ groups, the police and the Premier League itself has worked hard in recent years to combat ticket touting – there is no excuse for a club owner to be involved in such activity,” a spokesperson for the FSA said.
Boehly has co-owned Chelsea with Clearlake Capital since May 2022, and his Eldridge Industries private investment firm invested in Vivid Seats in 2021.
The American billionaire has been a director at Vivid Seats since the investment, meaning he passed the Premier League’s Owners’ and Directors’ Test with them knowing about his involvement.
In February 2024, Chelsea posted on its official website that they are “committed to tackling ticket touting”.
“We identify individuals who fraudulently harvest tickets/memberships to sell at vastly inflated prices, investigate both online and offline illegal ticket sales, and use a range of tactics and enforcement measures that help to combat ticket touting,” the statement read.
“Supporters found to be selling their ticket for more than face value will be subject to a club investigation and sanctions.”
(Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images)
