Man United fans posing as disabled supporters to get into matches are slammed by a leading charity… as club tightens rules to prevent repeat of ‘damaging’ scam

A leading charity has warned Manchester United fans who have posed as disabled supporters at away matches that their scam is having ‘damaging consequences’.

Mail Sport reported on Tuesday that United had received ‘several’ allegations, including that non-disabled fans in wheelchairs were turning up at matches with tickets allocated to disabled supporters.

The revelations have sparked outrage among fans and forced United to take action to prevent a repeat in the future.

Following discussions with the Manchester United Disabled Supporters Association, any disabled fan with a wheelchair ticket for away matches will now have to show ID to collect it, while those who pass on their tickets unlawfully have been warned they could face sanctions – including long-term bans – for praise.

And disability charity Scope has attacked the United fans involved for ‘abuse of the system’.

“There are a limited number of accessible tickets available for disabled football fans, so it is disheartening to hear about this situation,” Scope spokesperson Alison Kerry told Mail Sport.

‘We urge anyone who abuses the system to consider the damaging consequences of their actions.

‘There are already a large number of barriers that disabled football fans face due to inaccessible stadiums and public transport problems and the negative attitudes of other fans.

‘Disabled football fans should always have equal access to support their team.’

Liverpool’s Disabled Supporter Association also joined the queue. ‘We fully support @ManUtd’s position, and our friends @MudsaO support their disabled supporters. This is really shocking! Enough is enough,” they wrote on X.

United have also pledged to step up checks on the ground outside stadiums to identify disabled fans who give their seats to a non-disabled supporter. Fans are being told to hand in their away game tickets if they cannot attend so they can be resold.

MUDSA secretary Chas Banks slammed the ‘bastards’ caught using disabled tickets to gain entry to away games, saying some of these fans had been spotted in a wheelchair zone for a week before jumping out of their seats when United scored a goal. target the following.

“I’ve seen evidence with my own eyes that these motherfuckers are doing this, and I have the pictures,” Banks recently told a Fans Forum meeting.

‘To the extent that they watched the match twice while sitting in a wheelchair on the wheelchair platform, and then watched the next match in the able-bodied section up and down when United scored a goal.

‘I fervently hope that anyone caught doing this will receive the strongest possible sanction.

“This is not a victimless crime, and I find it very sad that some of the people who lose to these horrible selfish fans are truly the least deserving to be robbed of the chance to get a ticket to which they are entitled . Because I promise you that for many of them, time is not on their side.”