United’s Director of Supporter Services, Sam Kelleher, addressed the issue of the misuse of disabled tickets at the most recent Fans’ Forum. He reported several detailed complaints about non-disabled supporters sitting in wheelchairs to access matches after tickets were unofficially obtained.

The club has a dedicated allocation of wheelchair spaces for each away fixture, with the number of tickets issued sometimes being as low as five or eight spaces. Chas Banks, Secretary of the Manchester United Disabled Supporters’ Association, expressed his concern over the exploitation of the ticket allocation process, citing instances of deserving individuals being denied tickets while others, deemed “Top Reds,” received tickets they were not entitled to.

Additionally, he referenced evidence of non-disabled individuals sitting in wheelchair spaces and then standing in the able-bodied section during matches. Banks advocated for a more stringent ticket collection process with photo ID to ensure that the tickets reach the correct recipients.

As a result of the allegations, the club has returned to ticket collections for disabled fans at fully accessible collection points, and will continue with this process until the end of the season. In an effort to combat the issue, Banks urged the adoption of a ticket collection process with photo ID to prevent the entry of unauthorized individuals.

This move aims to ensure that tickets go to the rightful recipients and not to those seeking to exploit the system for personal gain.