Fans reminded to seek genuine tickets

Supporters hoping to get their hands on tickets for UEFA EURO 2008™ are being made aware of the dangers of purchasing from unofficial sources.

Competition chances
Participating nations at UEFA EURO 2008™ will receive an average of 19 per cent of the tickets for each of their matches. National associations have been selling this allocation through their own channels since the start of the month, while tickets can also be won in competitions organised by tournament sponsors. These measures mean that more than three-quarters of all tickets will go to supporters.

Expensive rates
Fans are reminded that ticket offers from avenues other than those mentioned above are unofficial, and in some cases non-existent. Many suppliers are also charging inflated prices for tickets, with supporters running the risk of losing their money. Even if tickets are obtained, tournament organisers can have them cancelled, while those caught selling may be fined up to €5,000 in accordance with the ticketing terms and conditions.

Demand
A third of all available tickets, over one million in total, were sold in March 2007 via euro2008.com. Because, as expected, demand exceeded supply – more than 8.7 million valid ticket applications were received – a draw was held in April. The unsuccessful applicants were placed on a waiting list, drawn up by a random generator.

Redistributed
Where irregularities were discovered during the payment phase in summer 2007, Euro 2008 SA cancelled the relevant applications. Approximately 20,000 tickets were then redistributed to the applicants at the top of the waiting list.