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Manchester United have issued a statement admitting that their recent crackdown on ticket touting may have caused real distress to genuine supporters.

United began steps last month to tackle ticket touting, but the move also unintentionally affected a significant number of loyal fans, leaving them worried that their season tickets could be taken away without any clear reason.

This wide-ranging action prompted a number of United supporters’ groups to release a joint statement urging the club to be more transparent and to take into account the situation of fans who had done nothing wrong.

A fan forum meeting took place on 30 July, during which these concerns were raised. United have now conceded that they may have underestimated how many supporters had shared account details before starting their investigation.

The club’s statement said in part, “Manchester United accepts that the process may have caused distress for some loyal supporters, underestimated how common sharing account usernames and passwords was, and recognises that some fans may have felt they were being treated unfairly.”

“We recognise that many supporters have shared account login details in circumstances they regarded as legitimate, and we did not anticipate the extent to which this was occurring.

Supporters explained that they had shared the information simply to help friends and family complete their applications.”

The club added that a “satisfactory explanation” has been provided in a “substantial number of cases” and, because of that, restrictions have now been removed from those accounts.

At the same time, United said they do not plan to ease off on the issue of ticket touting, which they maintain prevents genuine supporters from getting the chance to buy tickets.

“We believe this is something we are all aligned on. One example has uncovered 1,088 accounts accessed on a single device. However, we recognise the way this process was communicated, and the impact it has had on some loyal match-going supporters, has caused genuine upset and distress.”

The statement further said, “The review remains ongoing and we will publish further information, including supporting data where appropriate, once it has concluded. We will continue to review every case individually and maintain an appeals process for supporters who believe relevant information has not been considered.”

“Our objective remains simple: to protect fair access to tickets, maintain the safety and integrity of the ticketing system, and ensure that Manchester United tickets remain in the hands of genuine supporters.”

Michael Carrick and his players return to action this weekend when they take on Paris Saint-Germain.