Manchester United go to war with touts as club line up full-time officer to seize tickets on black market

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Manchester United are to appoint a full-time ticket-tout officer to clamp down on those selling thousands of tickets on the black market.

More than 100 tickets have been seized this season from touts operating near Old Trafford and premises being used as distribution points have been identified.

Now United will step up their war on the worst offenders by hiring a ticket touting and compliance officer. 

Manchester United will hire a full-time ticket-tout officer to deal with sales on the black market

More than 100 tickets have been seized this season from touts operating near Old Trafford 

Nearly 2,000 tickets have been recovered over the last season and a half and the club give three-year bans to anyone found reselling seats — which has been illegal since 1994. Only outlets authorised by clubs can sell unwanted tickets.

United officials are also looking at ways of expanding Old Trafford from its capacity of around 75,000 — the biggest of any British club stadium — to 88,000.

A new section for disabled fans is expected to be completed by 2020, but that is set to cut capacity to around 73,300 — so United are now looking at their options.

The club are also investigating the possibility of creating fan zones outside Old Trafford.

New detection technology is on the way to stop supporters bringing flares into the ground.

United use sniffer dogs and bag searches at present to police the problem but fans are still smuggling in flares. 

United have had an average crowd of over 75,000 in the last seven Premier League seasons

And the club are planning to increase Old Trafford's capacity to a British club record 88,000

The away section at Old Trafford was lit up by dozens of them before kick-off at the Champions League game against Basle.

United say they are responding to supporters coming up with 'ingenious' new ways of getting flares into the stadium.

The club are set to hand out unsold pies to Manchester's homeless community. Surplus hot food from matchdays will be driven into the city, where volunteers will distribute it to those sleeping rough and at shelters.

Hundreds of pies go unsold at United matches and the club's charity arm, the Manchester United Foundation, don't want them going to waste any longer.

A trial after a match last season was successful and United are speaking to the council in the hope of launching a permanent scheme.