UEFA & UK POLICE

[Guest Snorky]

For further information:

UEFA Media Services: ++41 848 04 27 27

Media Release Date: 08/05/2007

Communiqué aux médias No. 068

Medien-Mitteilung

 

UEFA and UK Police take action against illegal ticket sales

 

Joint warning letter sent to companies selling tickets without authorization

 

UEFA and the UK Police have today sent out a warning letter to several companies and individuals offering tickets for sale to high profile UEFA matches such as the UEFA Cup final and UEFA Champions League final, asking them to immediately desist from offering such tickets for sale.

 

A new legislation which came into force as of 6 April 2007 makes it a criminal offence in England and Wales for an unauthorised person to sell a ticket for a designated football match. It also specifically makes it a criminal offence to take any such step over the Internet, whether through a website or

otherwise, and to sell a ticket as part of a hospitality package.

 

The designated football matches include (but are not limited to): every match in the UEFA Cup; every match in the UEFA Champions League; as well as every match of UEFA EURO 2008?.

 

The letter made it clear that illicit sale of tickets undermines the safety and segregation of fans, potentially causing significant public order and safety issues.

In the light of the recent change in the legislation, the United Kingdom Football Policing Unit is working closely with UEFA, the Football Association and the Premier League (amongst other football authorities), the Home Office and the local police constabularies in the United Kingdom. Each of the

bodies involved has committed significant resource to ensure that the new legislation is enforced to the greatest extent allowed by law. This combined action will ensure that those who persist with their illegal trade in tickets will be identified and prosecuted.

 

UEFA continuously monitors the internet and has found abusive ticket selling relating to the UEFA Champions League final, to take place in Athens on Wednesday 23 May 2007. Consequently UEFA has already cancelled a certain number of tickets sold in breach of the ticketing terms and conditions, as a clear warning sign to those involved. European football?s governing body?s primary concern is to protect the genuine fan against possible troublemakers entering the stadium due to uncontrolled selling.

 

Based on past experience, UEFA also suspects numerous fake auctions to be placed on the internet and reiterates its warning to fans tempted to buy tickets through unreliable sources that often charge exorbitant prices and quite often do not have the tickets they purport to be selling.

 

Commenting on the letter, UEFA CEO ad interim Gianni Infantino, said: "I am proud to see that the high level of cooperation between UEFA and the UK authorities has led to such progress in the long running battle against touts. ?Cooperation between football bodies and authorities is key to prevent violence".

[Cobs]

 

it's a start now, let's see some prosecutions & massive fines meted out to these parasites.

Edited May 13, 2007 by Cobs

[Guest Portly]

I think UEFA are referring to companies touting tickets, who haven't paid UEFA (or Liverpool FC for that matter) large sums of money to do it.

[DJS]

How about UEFA start giving the tickets to the clubs then, rather than their odiously greasy palmed 'family'?

 

Fecking hypocrites.

[Mr Makaveli]

How about UEFA start giving the tickets to the clubs then, rather than their odiously greasy palmed 'family'?

 

Fecking hypocrites.

 

 

exactly!!

[Tommy Cockles]

" European football?s governing body?s primary concern is to protect the genuine fan against possible troublemakers entering the stadium due to uncontrolled selling. "

 

Turned my stomach that

 

How about not:

 

Cancelling nearly 10000 seats in order to grease their palms through advertising AT THE EXPENSE OF FANS WHO WANT TO SEE THE GAME

 

Giving nearly 30000 tickets to Corporate, Greek FA & "UEFA Family" the vast majority of which will be sold at well over the odds to the people they should have been made available to in the first place.

 

Hypocritical, corrupt, money grabbing, incompetant c****

[Bo Benn]

Never got the thing about UEFA CL ad-boards. What's wrong with the way advertisements are handled in the premier league for example. Seems idiotic to take away 000s of seats in every stadium just because it's a UEFA game. Can someone explain?