Fans sue Manchester United in tickets row
Stuart Brennan
MANCHESTER United fans whose Carling Cup final tickets failed to arrive are to sue the club.
More than 100 supporters were left out of pocket when the tickets they bought for last week's showdown with Wigan Athletic at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff were lost in the post.
United refused to offer refunds and some supporters paid to get replacements. Others who couldn't afford the £72 charge were forced to watch the match on TV.
Now supporters are getting together with fans' group Independent Manchester United Supporters Association (IMUSA) to pursue legal action against the club. They claim it has banked around £7,000 from selling tickets which did not arrive.
United officials blame the Millennium Stadium which had recently changed its policy of providing duplicate tickets on the day for anyone who lost or forgot their tickets for "safety reasons".
Informed
Stadium bosses say the four clubs who took part in the semi-finals were informed of the change and advised to send final tickets out by recorded delivery.
Wigan followed the advice but United sent theirs by normal post. The Post Office denies any responsibility.
Some supporters received envelopes containing a covering letter but no tickets, including one man who failed to receive 12 tickets and another who paid more than £300 for replacement tickets.
United originally blamed a postal strike in Ireland for some missing tickets but fans in Britain have also been hit by the problem.
Reds' fan Tom Walker, from Liverpool, told the M.E.N: "I applied for a ticket and received a letter with no ticket included. They said they were not issuing refunds and implied that I had sold the ticket on to someone else.
Furious
"I have asked to be included in the group action against United because I am absolutely furious about this."
Paul Carmody, from St Helens, is so disgusted he has given up his ticket for Monday's league game with Wigan and plans to join the legal action.
He said: "I phoned on the Monday before the game to say my ticket, which cost me £37.08 including the administration fee United levy, had not arrived.
"I asked for my money back and they said it was nothing to do with the club and I would have to claim it back from the Premiership or the FA.
Heart
"It's disgusting. I have been a season ticket holder for 13 years, but I have no heart for the club at all after this."
IMUSA say United are liable under laws which govern paying for goods which are not received, but the club continues to blame the Millennium Stadium.
A spokesman for the club said: "The Millennium Stadium did issue duplicates for the FA Cup final last season and we were aware of this new policy but expected commonsense to prevail. It's not the club's fault.
"We host big events at Old Trafford and issue duplicate tickets - it's surprising that the Millennium Stadium has chosen not to do this and we feel sorry for the people affected."
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