Ajax Lawsuit: Black Market Victory

This concerns the Client Investment company. They had 283 certificates at their disposal in the Johan Cruijff Arena. These give the right to be the first to purchase season tickets at a discount. Client Investment provided clients with these season tickets, which are difficult to obtain (without a certificate).

This was done, for example, by offering season tickets or individual tickets for significant amounts on platforms such as Viagogo. Ajax believed that Client Investment was in violation of the KNVB Standard Terms and Conditions and was therefore guilty of the unauthorized (re)selling of match tickets. In other words: black marketing.

Our club informed Client Investment that all purchased tickets for Ajax matches would be blocked and no new tickets would be issued. The relations of Client Investment (read: buyers of the tickets) were also informed by Ajax.

The club stated in a letter that they were taking measures against Client Investment due to the observed black marketing, including by blocking the match tickets. Ajax gave them the opportunity to continue their season ticket for the current 2025/2026 season, so that they were not further disadvantaged.

Client Investment resisted and demanded that Ajax lift the blockade of season tickets, stating that black marketing was wrongly discussed. Those claims were rejected in the Amsterdam District Court, as can be read in the ruling. This is explained below.

The blocking of season tickets is based on Article 5.1 of the aforementioned standard terms and conditions. These conditions apply to the agreement between Ajax and Client Investment. Purchasing season tickets is not possible without acceptance of these conditions. The conditions make no distinction between private customers and companies. Client Investment is therefore also bound by this.

Article 5.1 prohibits the resale of tickets, unless resale is facilitated by the club or there is an individual transaction in the private sphere. That is undeniably not the case here. After all, Client Investment sells season tickets at a significant markup to its clients, many of whom are companies themselves.

The ruling further states: “Given the standard conditions, Ajax was able to block Client Investment’s season tickets. The decision to do so is not incomprehensible and not unacceptable according to standards of reasonableness and fairness, no matter how far-reaching it is for Client Investment’s business model. Its interests in retaining the season tickets do not outweigh Ajax’s interest in stopping unauthorized (re)sale of tickets.”

The club emphasizes that black marketing is punishable. And if something is punishable, action is taken. The example of Client Investment proves this, but also of the people who previously placed tickets on Marktplaats, but now have a stadium ban and received a fine of 450 euros.

Ajax once again calls on supporters not to buy tickets via the black market, because there is a chance that these tickets will be blocked. Anyone who comes to the stadium with a ticket purchased through black marketing runs a very high risk of being turned away at the entrance. There you are with your overpriced ticket. Don’t do it to yourself.

Also take a look at this article, in which the police explain how, under the guise of an awareness campaign, they created a website on which people could ‘order’ tickets for football matches, for example. In reality, it is a fake webshop to warn people about ticket fraud. Ajax is participating in this campaign.