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Caught in the act: touts sell Champions League tickets for up to £500
Amar Singh and Danny Brierley25 Feb 2009
ILLEGAL ticket touts are charging up to £500 for seats at Champions League matches.
An Evening Standard investigation has found scores of companies selling tickets for matches involving Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.
The London-based outfits, many of which advertise online, are flouting laws set up to prevent banned hooligans from buying tickets.
The black market threatens to damage the Football Association's bid to host the 2018 World Cup after international sports governing bodies warned that more must be done in Britain to beat the touts.
Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe last week called on event organisers to do more to stop the problem.
The FA said it fully supported legislation which bans ticket touts trading through websites and Scotland Yard is investigating gangs that operate online.
But a Standard reporter obtained two tickets to last night's Champions League match between Arsenal and Roma at the Emirates Stadium. After two phone calls he met a tout who handed over a pair of tickets for £380 - £249 more than their original value.
Despite being told they were for a fictitious "convicted football hooligan" the tout offered more tickets for Premier league matches and Sunday's Carling Cup final at Wembley.
Arsenal said it would investigate the source of the tickets and pass the details to the police.
When the club moved to the Emirates Stadium in 2006 it introduced a credit card-style ticket system. The cards carry details of fans that can be checked at turnstiles.
In the past three seasons the club has also cancelled 1,000 memberships suspected of links to touts.
Manchester United and Chelsea have tried to prevent the illegal trade by introducing exchange schemes for fans.
At Chelsea's site tickets for home Premiership games start at £18.
But supporters' club tickets for the Champions League tie between Manchester United and Inter in Milan were on offer for £175 at Footballencounters.co.uk
A spokesman for Footballencounters.co.uk said: "All of the names of our customers go directly to clubs and we ask people to provide a passport photograph."
A Chelsea spokesman said: "We actively investigate the source of tickets sold illegally and take the necessary action."
Nick Bitel, chairman of UK Sport's Major Events Steering Group, said the cricket and rugby world cups had already voiced concern over touting in Britain.
A spokesman for the FA said: "We advise fans to always buy tickets through official sources."
Paying the price: fixture list
Arsenal v Roma
Tickets4Football - £190
Sold a pair of tickets to our reporter at Liverpool Street station yesterday
Liverpool v Real Madrid
Thesportsboxoffice.com - £500
Said they were the victims of "monopolisation" and then hung up
Chelsea v Juventus
1st4footballtickets.com - up to £357
Refused to comment
Inter v Manchester United
Football Encounters UK Ltd - £175 (Man United supporters' section)
Said they would review their packages to check they complied with legislation
Reader views (2)
If these companies are acting on the net have google and the others act - dont allow them to advertise or are google happy to help these companies break the law... just so they can make more money...???
- Tony C, Birmingham, UK, 26/02/2009 11:05
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The secondary market in tickets just reflects the supply-demand dynamic. Imagine if houses had a "face value" and couldn't be sold for more than that. The property market would cease to exist. Touting just fills a need created by having a limited supply of underpriced tickets.
- Neil M., london uk,, 26/02/2009 09:28
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