3 hours ago
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"They have literally said I can't go to their stadium again. I've done nothing wrong."
A Manchester United fan says he has been made to feel 'like a criminal' after officials at Manchester City banned him from watching the Blues as a 'neutral' supporter - and cancelled his ticket to watch Pep Guardiola's team play Real Madrid.
Lewis Barlow, 21, a forklift truck driver, splashed out almost £600 on flights, accommodation and a ticket for City's match against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu stadium in the Spanish capital on Wednesday night.
But just days before the fixture his ticket and membership were cancelled after an official at City realised that 'manchesterunited' was part of his email address. A subsequent search of his social media accounts revealed that he is a devoted Red.
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Lewis, from Tintwistle in Derbyshire, followed most of his family in becoming a Manchester United fan and he has been to every home game at Old Trafford for the last two seasons.
But his brother Kyle, 18, and some of his friends are Man City fans - and so to be with his pals and his sibling he's also been going to the Etihad to watch the Blues, he says.
This season he says he has been to 10 matches at the Etihad, the last of them last week when, instead of watching his beloved United at Newcastle on the TV, he was at the Etihad to watch the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. He says he's been going to the Etihad for 10 years to watch the Blues.
In November he successfully applied for and purchased a £35 Man City membership to make it easier to get tickets. The club didn't seem to notice that he applied using an email address which included the term 'manchesterunited'.
But his membership and his ticket for the upcoming Champions League game at Real Madrid were suddenly cancelled last week after he had a call from City to ask if he was actually a Red. When he answered 'yes', his membership was quickly ended and the upcoming ticket was cancelled.
An email to Lewis' 'manchesterunited' account from a ticket compliance manager said: "Further to the call earlier, as a Manchester United fan, you cannot have a ticketing account that would allow access to tickets in the Manchester City section of any stadium.
"As stated during the purchase journey for the Real Madrid away fixture, all tickets are sold subject to availability and are issued subject to the General Tickets Terms and Conditions - Manchester City F.C.
"By purchasing tickets in the Manchester City section, you are confirming you are either a fan of the club (Manchester City) or a neutral supporter. A Manchester United fan, arguably the biggest rival of Manchester City, is not a neutral supporter.
"Being a Manchester United supporter, with access to home tickets, means there is a very high risk you could be in attendance when the two teams play each other, in the Manchester City section. As a result of this information coming to light, we have cancelled your future tickets, and restricted your ticketing account. We have also refunded your membership as it was only bought recently."
In its terms and conditions for applying for away tickers the club says it 'may offer tickets for sale to fans of the club and neutral fans only', adding: "By applying to purchase one or a number of tickets, you hereby warrant and represent that you are a fan of the club or a neutral fan and not a fan of the opposing club."
Club officials say they retain 'full discretion' when distributing tickets. Lewis insists he was never a fan of the opposing club each time he attended the Etihad and isn't a fan of Real Madrid either.
He said: "Most of my family are United fans. I've never missed a home game for the last two seasons. But my brother is a City fan and my auntie is a City fan. My mates are City fans. So I go to City. It gets me out. I've been to quite a few games this season.
"I just do it to get out with my mates. When I go to United, my mates aren't there. I'm on my own. I go with my mum sometimes but the majority of time I'm on my own.
"Every time I've been to City, I've never caused any issues or anything. I don't do anything negative. I'm just there to have a good time with my mates. I would understand if I caused issues but I never have."
Asked what he does when City score a goal, he said: "Stand up and clap. To be fair, I actually want City to win the league because I don't want Arsenal to win. For the past few weeks I've been supporting City. I really don't like Arsenal."
He said his favourite City player is Rayan Cherki while his favourite Red is Bruno Fernandes. He added: "I think it's discrimination. They think I'm going to cause havoc which is never the situation.
"I'm with all my City fan mates. Why would I cause trouble. I'm surrounded by City fans. Why on earth would I cause issues. I'm literally going to have a good time."
He said the City official who called 'spoke to me like I was a criminal'. "It was like I had broken the law. At first I thought it was a prank call from one of my mates," said Lewis.
He said of City terms and conditions that 'there's nothing about being a United fan means you can't go'. Lewis urged the club to re-instate his membership, saying: "They have literally said I can't go to their stadium again. I've done nothing wrong."
Lewis' mum Vicky said of her son: "Lewis is a hardworking young man who is of excellent character who just has a love for the beautiful game of football. We feel Lewis has been stereotyped as a football hooligan when he's never been in trouble in his life. He's never even been in trouble once in his life with the police."
Manchester City declined to comment when contacted by the M.E.N. However, it is understood club officials believe Lewis has breached the club's ticketing terms and conditions as he cannot be said to be a neutral fan and acted to ensure safety at matches. Officials are also keen to ensure City supporters have priority especially for big games.
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