What kind of person pretends to be disabled just to watch a match? This is downright disgraceful and those behind it should be ASHAMED of themselves
- Man United fans have been accused of ‘widespread misuse’ of away tickets
- It has been claimed that some have posed as disabled fans to attend away matches
- Get rid of it, Pep! Chris Wood didn’t miss chance after chance due to the drought of the field – Listen to the It all starts! podcast
We used to make fun of Lou Todd and Andy Pipkin from Little Britain because the concept seemed so outrageous.
The thought that an able-bodied man would trick his well-intentioned but gullible partner into pushing him around in a wheelchair while he could still walk just fine felt too far-fetched to be true.
However, the accusation that Manchester United fans are pretending to be disabled supporters to attend away games this season is no laughing matter. In fact, it’s downright shameful.
What kind of person takes a ticket intended for a disabled supporter and then goes so far as to acquire a wheelchair to enter a stadium to watch a football match? The kind of idiots who think they won’t be seen celebrating a goal at the next game.
Manchester United have faced harrowing allegations that ‘scumbag’ fans are posing as disabled supporters to get valuable away match tickets
What kind of person takes a ticket intended for a disabled supporter and then goes so far as to acquire a wheelchair to enter a stadium to watch a football match?
And what about the people who facilitate this in the first place? The disabled ticket holder who may be complicit in the scam and any intermediaries looking to make a few euros?
Because Chas Banks, secretary of the Manchester United Disabled Supporters’ Association, notes that this is not a victimless crime. Other disabled fans are denied a precious opportunity to watch their team play. “I promise you, for many of them, time is not on their side,” he says.
Mr. Banks has been committed to helping those less fortunate. Two years ago he was awarded an MBE for services to people with disabilities in Greater Manchester and the North West of England, so was understandably outraged when he made the allegations at a recent fans’ forum.
“Scumbags” was the word he used, and it’s hard to think of a better word.
It is only fair to point out that the problem could also arise at other football clubs across the country, where interest is high and tickets are scarce. But it has come to light at United, where the club has had to resort to high-tech measures to keep out unscrupulous fans.
Those fans have rightly been labeled ‘sons of a bitch’ for their attempts to watch United
The people behind this should be ashamed and it is downright disgraceful
Last week, Mail Sport revealed United had launched plans to beat the touts by locking digital tickets on specific devices and hiding QR codes to be scanned at the turnstiles until three hours before kick-off.
But short of better identity security, how can you root out imposters in wheelchairs without subjecting disabled fans to humiliating checks? As usual, the innocent would pay the price.
The people behind this should be ashamed of themselves.
