Manchester City fans "have blasted the club after dozens of tickets for a sold-out match went on sale online with a hefty booking fee on top," according to Mike Keegan of the MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS. More than 25 seats in one section of the Etihad Stadium "were made available" for the Tottenham Hotspur match on Nov. 11 by online ticket firm viagogo. Fans said that tickets with a face value of £51 ($82) were being sold with a £12.24 (19.76) booking fee on top. Buyers also need a £10 ($16) Man City membership card. Man City signed a partnership with the firm earlier this year saying that "it would allow fans to sell tickets to other supporters." However, most of the tickets available for the Spurs clash on the website "are in the same section of the Colin Bell Stand – leading some supporters to claim the club had sold a block of seats to viagogo in a bid to profit." Viagogo Head of Marketing Ed Parkinson said, "The seller sets the ticket price. Viagogo charges 10% to seller and 15% to buyer. This covers the cost of maintaining the secure platform and providing customer service. Above all it covers the cost of upholding the viagogo guarantee." A Man City spokesperson said that as part of its contract with viagogo "the website received a small ticket allocation," which it is entitled to sell at face value. The row comes after a Man City ticket exchange site on Twitter was closed down by the club (MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS, 10/17).
