Controversial 'dynamic pricing' used to sell some tickets for FA Cup final

Controversial "dynamic pricing" has arrived in English football, the Guardian can reveal, after a company backed by sports stars including the England men's football captain, Harry Kane, charged more than £3,000 for two seats at the FA Cup final.

- Rob Davies

Seat Unique, which sells VIP hospitality packages for events, has won endorsements and even financial backing from professional athletes and sports teams, promising to deliver "exceptional, authentic experiences to fans".

But the London-based company has been accused of acting "like a ticket tout" after it slashed the price of cup final hospitality tickets shortly after a customer had bought a pair to cheer up her football-mad nephew.

In emails to the customer, a Seat Unique employee conceded that its pricing structure could be "confusing". It said this was because it had used dynamic pricing, a tactic that proved so unpopular when Oasis used it for their reunion tour that the government decided to include it in a consultation on whether to change consumer law. The employee said the price of its FA Cup final tickets could fluctuate "just like with aeroplane tickets or hotels".

A spokesperson for Wembley Stadium, which is owned by the Football Association, said it had sold a limited number of hospitality packages through third-party agents such as Seat Unique. It said the agents "set the prices for these packages, and we do not have approval rights on their pricing model".

The Football Association is understood to have authorised Seat Unique to sell tickets but is thought to have been unaware that dynamic pricing would be applied.

The use of the controversial pricing model is likely to provoke fury from fans in the light of simmering resentment about high ticket prices.