Are online sales people messing with football players too much when they sell autographs?

When Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was recently recorded refusing to sign a shirt when a man approached his car after a match, he defended himself against the backlash by saying he felt “exposed” and claiming some fans “are not doing it for the right reasons”.

Last year, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola angrily criticised a group of hunters who approached him in a car park near his home, criticising his career choice, saying, “Don’t come again – I won’t tell you again, I know your faces. Do you honestly want to make a living doing this kind of work? What are your dreams?”

The sports memorabilia industry is estimated to be worth billions of pounds per year globally.

underscoring how much wealth professional hunters can make by regularly seeking stars.

Clubs sometimes have to step in and protect players, including preventing professional hunters from working outside the training grounds, providing security staff at nearby petrol stations where hunters know players stop to refuel their cars, and in some cases helping them drive home.

In 2023, Manchester United’s Mason Mount was filmed telling stalkers to stop following him home after doing so for several days in a row.

And earlier this month United defender Noussair Mazraoui was recorded ridiculously half-signing a set of shirts given to him by a stalker who approached him at his car window after training.

“Players get really fed up with it,” says Premier League winner Chris Sutton.

“I’ve faced this many times as a player and as a pundit. They stand outside the BBC studios and ask me to sign 12 number nine shirts together. I questioned this recently and said, ‘You’re going to ruin these online, aren’t you?’

“It is so annoying that its intention is to make money from players and other high-profile people. It is up to the player, the manager or someone like me to make that decision at the moment.

ostracise them online or in public.

“If we say no, the rejected party will often abuse the person who rejected them and ostracise them online or in public.

“This is unfair because genuine autograph seekers should be fed up with these fraudsters who are doing it for the wrong reasons.

“These guys ruin it for the kids and the real fans.”