World Cup Kick Off fouled by ticket touts

10.02.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 9th Jun 2006

Following the revelation that black market tickets for England's opening match against Paraguay in Frankfurt tomorrow could reach more than €2,000 (£1,372) each and that according to Frankfurt's chief of police, Achim Thiel, only 10% of spectators would have their tickets checked, Liberal Democrat Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Don Foster MP said "It is hardly surprising that England fans will be trying to buy touted tickets when FIFA have only allocated 12% of seats for England's opening game to official supporters.

Don went on to say "This is all the more worrying as only 10% of spectators will be checked. Whilst I recognise it's impossible to check everyone, the continuing problem of ticket touting could cast a shadow over one of the greatest sporting tournament on earth."

Notes:

1. The Guardian reported today that German ticket touts had been offering tickets for the England match for €1,400 (£960) to German residents who were likely to try to sell them on. <http://football.guardian.co.uk/worldcup2006/story/0,,1793478,00.html>

2. The Waldstadion has a 43 000 capacity and England's official supporter's club allocation was 5350.

3. Last month, the Liberal Democrats urged FIFA to allocate a far higher percentage of tickets for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa to be given to fans in a Parliamentary Motion (House of Commons Early Day Motion 2120).

"That this House notes that tickets for the World Cup are being resold for up to £1000 at an average of 327 per cent. more than their face value; recognises that touted tickets for football matches can result in a dangerous mix of opposing fans; congratulates the Football Association (FA) and the German authorities on their robust plans to help prevent crowd violence; regrets that only 8 per cent. of tickets for each match have been allocated by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to the fans of each competing side; believes that such a low ticket allocation encourages touting; welcomes the FA's

decision to cut its own allocation to their football family in half to the benefit of the fans; and calls on FIFA to act now to ensure that a far higher proportion of tickets are allocated to fans in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa."

Related Links:

Link to Guardian story on blackmarket football tickets.

Link to Don Foster MP (Bath) website.

Link to Bath Lib Dems Website.