Boehly-Linked Website Lists Chelsea FA Cup Tickets At £1,705

Chelsea fans are “upset and confused” that a website part-owned by Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly is offering tickets for the club’s FA Cup semi-final with Leeds at Wembley Stadium at hugely inflated values.

Vivid Seats, an American resale platform in which Boehly is a minority shareholder, has ticket listings for the semi-final clash with Leeds on 26 April at Wembley priced between $200 (£148) and $2,308 (£1,705).

The prices far exceed face value – between £30 and £150 – and the listings have been online since before tickets were made available to Chelsea season ticket holders via the club on Friday morning.

Over 100 ticket listings were displayed on the website, in all four stands of the stadium including areas designated to both Chelsea and Leeds fans, and in hospitality lounges.

Prices are determined by sellers on Vivid Seats, which earns money from each sale.

The ticket listings are not visible for UK customers, meaning the practice does not fall foul of the law, but BBC Sport was easily able to access listings using a simple virtual private network (VPN) and changing our location to the USA.

“When tickets for major matches are appearing on resale platforms at hugely inflated prices, it makes clear that the system simply isn’t working for regular fans,” said Dominic Rosso, chair of Chelsea Supporters Trust (CST).

“You can buy a seat in the same block I got mine for $470 (£346) on Vivid Seats. People are confused and upset that there is this clear conflict of interest.

“Mr. Boehly should be at the forefront of the fight against ticket touting in his role as chairman, but instead he is linked to a company charging eye-watering amounts of money.”

The FA Cup semi-final listings span all four stands, but are not the only Chelsea match for which Vivid Seats is offering tickets.

It has listings for all six of the Blues’ final Premier League games of the season, with prices between $149 (£110) and $4,372 (£3,231).

And tickets are already available for the FA Cup final, priced at $452 (£334) and $4,912 (£3,630).