FC Barcelona becomes FEAT’s first sports club member

FC Barcelona, the five-time European champion, has become the first sports club to join the anti-touting group Face-value European Alliance for Ticketing (FEAT).

The Spanish giants officially joined FEAT, which campaigns against unauthorised ticket resale, at a meeting in the office of Barca president Joan Laporta.

By signing the agreement with FEAT, the club has joined other professionals associated with the events industry in its mission for a Europe-wide ban on event ticket resale above face value. As part of its ‘Visiting Supporter Security and Control Protocol’, which the club set up for high-risk fixtures, Barcelona has already started implementing a series of measures to combat unauthorised ticket resale. These include personalised tickets and a tracking system to prevent misuse.

Juli Guiu, Barcelona’s vice-president of marketing, said: “Tackling unauthorised ticket resale has been a priority of the club’s for some time so this partnership makes perfect sense.

“This alliance is also aligned with the different actions that FC Barcelona has been undertaking to protect its members and season ticket holders against any situation and for purchasers of tickets for all sectors to feel safe in the knowledge that the tickets they buy are legitimate and fairly priced.”

Regulate resale platforms

The club has joined with other FEAT members across Europe to make three key promises as part of their pledge: to fight for face-value ticket resale, to only support resale marketplaces that are legally compliant and embrace transparency, and to stand up to search engines and social media platforms accepting advertising from irregular resale platforms.

FEAT has helped to secure provisions in EU law to regulate resale platforms such in as the Digital Services Act, and its publication of two comprehensive guides on best practice to avoid unauthorised ticket resale. 2023 also saw FEAT unveil its “Make Tickets Fair!” campaign to the live events sector, which aims to educate and empower fans to avoid being ripped off by predatory ticket resellers.

Neo Sala, founding director of FEAT and founder of Doctor Music, said: “We’re delighted to bring FC Barcelona, our first non-music member, on board to continue our fight against unethical ticket resale.

“This strengthens our voice, building a united front on the issue across entertainment and live events. In this way, FC Barcelona becoming FEAT’s first sports member, Barcelona will now become FEAT’s official home city, and will host its Annual General Meeting there every year.”

Barcelona will play its home matches at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys until November 2024 while redevelopment work is carried out at its Camp Nou stadium.