Stub out these , , ticket tOuts tottenham

ALAN FISHER says Spurs are doing a disservice to their loyal fans with their controversial scheme

relations copy. When it comes down to it, Spurs reciprocate with StubHub.

Owned by ebay, StubHub is an American ticket reselling agency who from the start of this season possess sole rights to sold-out matches at White Hart Lane. Once a match is officially sold out, season-ticket holders can then place their seats on the Stubhub site.

Up until the end of last season, Spurs operated a ticket exchange scheme that enabled season-ticket holders unable to attend a soldout match to resell their ticket at full price for that fixture less 25 per cent. The club then sold them at face value. That commission, which means Spurs are making another 25 per cent on top of tickets they have already sold, was steep enough but at least it was a compromise of sorts, given that we invest so much in advance and kick-offs are changed at the whim of Sky TV. StubHub has two significant differences. Tickets can now be sold to anyone, whereas with the ticket exchange only Spurs members were eligible. Members thus lose a benefit of their hefty subscription and away fans could easily sit in the midst of the Spurs faithful, negating safety policies at the swipe of a credit card.

However, by far the most significant change is that on StubHub you can sell tickets at any price you choose. Many of us feared that this would lead to exorbitant profiteering far in excess of the wildest dreams of any street-corner tout. Spurs denied this would happen, claiming, “it is very rare for the tickets to sell at more than their original price”. The recent home game against rivals