You can't transfer away tickets even if you die an hour before the match and transfer to your twin brother.Unbelievably after doing a bit more research it seems the club has acted completely legally.
No, there has been no GDPR (or UK GDPR) breach by Manchester City football club staff in this scenario.67b75d636c6a812af3
Why This Is Not a GDPR Breach
GDPR/UK GDPR regulates the processing of personal data (info relating to an identifiable person, like your name "Felix" or ticket details). Here's a step-by-step breakdown:
What Happened (Confirmed from Your Forum Post):
You swapped your ticket informally with another fan ("a blue") outside official channels.a3ed2a
Club canceled the ticket after spotting your public forum post about using your brother's ticket (which they viewed as potential misuse).8a5d3c
At the ticket office, a rep showed you a screenshot of your own post and refused to print/reissue (even after you offered to swap back).409aa9
Your Swap Breached Man City's Ticket Terms:
Aspect
Official Policy
Your Action
Transfers Allowed
Only to Cityzens Members or up to 3 pre-nominated non-members via official app (free, same age group). No informal swaps.b2503f19134c
Swapped with random fan (not nominated/official).
Brother's Ticket Post
Likely seen as unauthorized transfer (brother must be nominated).e68e91
Public post admitting potential breach.
Consequences
Club can cancel tickets for suspected misuse (Clause 10.1: "suspend... withdraw... or cancel" for breaches or suspected resale). No refunds.c6abd4
Ticket canceled to enforce rules.
Ticket touting/swapping is illegal under UK law (Criminal Justice Act 1994); clubs actively prevent it.33bb6f
Club's Actions Were Lawful Processing Under GDPR:
Processing Step
GDPR Article
Why Lawful?
Reading public forum post
Art 5(1)(a), 6(1)(f)
Public data (Bluemoon post) – no privacy expectation. Legitimate interest: Stop breaches.ac1956
"Looked up supporters called Felix"
Art 6(1)(f)
Legitimate interest (fraud prevention). Your name = public identifier matching registered supporter database (they already hold your data lawfully as ticket buyer).914300
Canceled ticket
Art 6(1)(f), Terms Clause 10
Contractual enforcement + legitimate interest. Your breach justified it.
Showed you the screenshot
Art 15 (Access Right)
Your own data/post – they disclosed it back to you. No third-party sharing.fadb08
Legitimate Interests Test (Art 6(1)(f)): Club's interest (fair ticketing) outweighs your rights (you breached terms; post was public).
No other breaches (e.g., no profiling, no leaks, transparent via terms/privacy policy).726319
Forum Users' Doubts? Spot-On – But Doesn't Change Legality:
Many skeptical club monitors (e.g., "useless bastards haven't even got time to answer the phone").ed8dfa
Easy for you: Username = real first name ("Felix") – one search in database.be6c86
Clubs routinely monitor social media/forums for touting (e.g., Spurs, Arsenal). No GDPR fines for this.
If You Complain (Won't Win, But...):
ICO (UK regulator): Dismiss – lawful.8a2bb7
Club: Email ticketing@mancity.com; cite Supporter Charter.f02a40
Fix: Nominate friends officially next time. Use Ticket Exchange for absences.
Lesson: Watch posts – clubs do check (especially unique names). Official transfers only to avoid this. Loyal fans get it – but rules = rules.
Sorry about formatting its a copy and paste job
Absolutely disgusting behaviour from the club I have to say. But it is legal as far as I can tell. What are we becoming. Soriano needs to feel the displeasure imo and it needs to get nasty.
I remember when mods used to give out locations on here, I said they couldn't do it but I was told I was wrong by the usual forum bullies. Guess what, they stopped doing it. No expressed consent to process the data for that purpose.
