For Your Information: Galatasaray Post Match Overview from City Matters minutes.
"The Club provided a detailed overview of the ticketing, safety and operational approach for the UEFA Champions League fixture against Galatasaray, which was classified as high-risk following consultation with Greater Manchester Police, UEFA and other partners. Stringent ticketing criteria were implemented across general admission, hospitality and official resellers to minimise the risk of away supporters in home areas, with safety prioritised over ticket sales. Post match, the Club investigated where away fans in home areas sourced their tickets. 85% were found to have come from qualifying Cityzens Matchday Members, 12% from Season Ticket Members and 3% from UEFA’s allocation. On closer investigation, of these source accounts, the Club was able to identify and suspend 253 accounts for misuse of the tickets purchased. Additional measures included ID-based ticket collection, heightened ticketing criteria and enhanced communications to ticket buyers regarding responsibility for ticket use. While these measures reduced the pool of eligible buyers, the Club emphasised that fan safety remained the top priority. Matchday operations included increased police and steward presence and dedicated quick response teams. All incidents were managed in line with agreed protocols with impacts minimised where possible.
As well as outlining the positive steps taken to reduce the risk of away fans in home areas, and the way the Club dealt with those that managed to access these areas, the Club highlighted that misconceptions have influenced opinions. The Club showed a number of social media posts where fans were accused of being away supporters simply because of their appearance or religion. City Matters representatives thanked the Club for its clear focus on fan safety and for reinforcing the importance of ensuring all supporters and staff feel safe, welcome, and respected at matches."
