Newcastle United have cancelled more than 100 season tickets and issued an apology to fans after uncovering a long-standing ticketing oversight involving unauthorised resales.

The club revealed that seats originally sold to tour organisers nearly a decade ago had continued to be used without detection until a recent internal investigation.

According to BBC Sports on Tuesday, the issue came to light after it was discovered that a school located almost 200 miles away had obtained tickets for Thursday’s high-demand Champions League fixture against Barcelona — a match that saw over 110,000 supporters join an online queue for the limited number of available seats.

The club explained that when the new owners took over four years ago, they ended agreements with third parties that allowed them to sell tickets.

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That included the deal agreed a decade ago with a small group of tour organisers “for the benefit of school groups” – but the club did not realise they were still selling tickets because there was no formal deal with the organisers.

“At a time when we are doing our utmost to protect legitimate access for Newcastle United fans, we want to be fully transparent and apologise for this oversight,” the club said.

Forty-five tickets for the Barcelona match were bought by the High School of Dundee in the same month that 110,000 fans had been in an online queue for the remaining seats for the highly anticipated fixture.

A spokesman for the school said they purchased them in good faith, after being “approached” by a provider, but the tickets were subsequently cancelled by the club.

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Newcastle have now terminated a total of 103 season tickets in recent days for breaching terms and conditions.

The club says the latest situation does not relate to individual supporters re-selling their tickets for St James’ in “this instance”.

The tour organisers bought the season tickets in the 2015-16 campaign.

United stressed that the continued use and unauthorised resale of season tickets at a “higher package price” was not discovered because there was “no formal contract in place for the tour groups”.

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“Upon being made aware of this issue, the club took immediate action,” a statement read.

“The club have not received any funds above the face value price of these season tickets and have immediately returned the seats for sale to supporters who have entered the official ballot for upcoming fixtures.”

The Newcastle United Supporters’ Trust previously “welcomed” the club “taking visible action to deter and penalise those who may be profiteering from other fans”.

“Along with the rise in ticket prices, according to our annual survey, one of the biggest concerns for Newcastle fans is reduced ticket availability due, not only to high demand, but the selling of tickets through third-party sites or other unauthorised means,” it added last week.

Tobi Amusan clinches silver at World Championships in Tokyo
Nigeria’s sprint queen, Tobi Amusan, delivered a sensational performance in the women’s 100m hurdles final at the Tokyo 2025 World Championships, clinching silver with a blazing 12.29s finish.

The 28-year-old sprint icon delivered a powerful race from start to finish but was narrowly beaten to the line by Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji, who stormed to gold in a national record time of 12.24s.

Grace Stark of the United States secured bronze with 12.34s, while Masai Russell came fourth in 12.44s.

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Tobi Amusan, who made history in 2022 by becoming the first Nigerian and African to win the 100m hurdles world title in Oregon, was aiming to reclaim her crown.

Though she fell just short of gold, her silver medal further cements her status as one of the sport’s all-time greats, adding to her world record (12.12s), multiple Diamond League titles, and Commonwealth Games gold.

After missing the final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Amusan’s performance in Tokyo is a resounding response to critics and proof that she remains among the world’s best.

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Nigeria’s medal hopes in Tokyo are not over yet.

Ezekiel Nathaniel advanced to the semifinals of the men’s 400m hurdles after running 48.37 seconds in the heats.

The 21-year-old, one of Africa’s fastest-rising hurdlers, kept his composure in a competitive race and will look to qualify for the final on Wednesday as he sets his sights on a podium finish.

Edo State deputy governor, Hon. Dennis Idahosa has hailed Bendel Insurance over their 1-0 victory against Niger Tornadoes in the week 4 fixture of the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL).

In a press statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Friday Aghedo The deputy governor described the match played at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium, Benin on Saturday as a “hard fought victory” for the Benin Arsenals.

Idahosa said he was pleased with the players’ performance, who needed an extra time of six minutes to scored the goal that made the difference in the game.

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He said the players should be motivated with the victory to enhance their performance in subsequent matches for the season.

“Though there is room for improvement, but am not the less impressed with their performance in the game against the Niger team.

“With their display, it is clear that Bendel Insurance this year and this season will do extremely well. We will be here to support and encourage them,” he stated.

Idahosa who noted that though his presence might not be the key determinant of this match result, however asserted, “They played passionately, but, if my presence would encourage them, I would be coming every now and then.”

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He congratulated the Edo State Sports Commission Chairman, Hon. Desmond Amadin Enabulele for doing a wonderful job.

Similarly, Enabulele said that Insurance made their hunger for victory known right from the very first minute of the game.

According to him, “From the very first minute, Bendel Insurance FC played the Match, it was clear that they were going to win.

“Today, the boys did not only show that they were ready for Continental play this season, but they showed what they are made up of. I was impressed with their good ball possession from the blast of the whistle.”