http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-5806950,00.htmlWorld Cup online tickets warning
Press Association
Monday May 8, 2006 3:13 AM
Tickets for this summer's World Cup matches in Germany are selling on unauthorised websites for more three times their face value, new research has revealed.
One pair of tickets to an England group game sold over the internet for more than 20 times the value set by the world governing body Fifa, according to the study.
Demand for tickets - particular for England matches - is huge and the research shows on-line touts are making huge profits, despite repeated pledges by the authorities to get tough on their activities.
Official ticket prices for the best seats alongside the pitch range from about £70 for group games to £270 for the semi-finals and just over £400 for the final.
However, a study by G4S Security Services (UK) revealed that, on average, World Cup tickets purchased from unauthorised websites cost fans 327% more than the original sale price set by Fifa.
Tickets for the semi-finals traded at 662% of their original sale price, while tickets for games in the first knockout stage were being sold by touts for an average of 347% more than their face value.
A ticket for the final cost around £970 on average - a mark up of 277% - according to the research, which examined sales from a number of unauthorised websites over a period of ten days last month.
Two tickets for the group game between England and Trinidad & Tobago at the Frankenstadion in Nuremberg were sold on-line for a vastly inflated price of £1500 - a mark up of 2307%, the study found.
In some cases touts were even offering tickets for "phantom" matches not even scheduled to take place, it said.
Football fans desperate to get into the games are now being warned that if they buy tickets from unauthorised sources they risk being refused entry to the stadiums.
Douglas Greenwell, marketing director at G4S, said: "FIFA has implemented a rigorous identification system for the World Cup finals, so supporters purchasing tickets from touts could face severe disappointment. If the ticketholder's details do not match those of the purchaser they will be refused entry to the stadium."
