English fans group wants FIFA to review World Cup ticketing

FIFA must act to ensure a greater allocation of tickets go to supporters and not corporate sponsors, an English fans' group said Friday.

After a meeting to address the highs and lows of the tournament, Mark Perryman, a leading member of the England Fans' Group, said their only complaint was with the number of tickets given to sponsors and the media.

"It really was the most fan-friendly World Cup ever," he told Reuters. "The reason for that was not just the excellent organisation but it was the reception in the streets of very, very friendly German people.

"The one thing that they (FIFA) got wrong was the ticketing. The percentage of tickets going to sponsors was equivalent to twice the number of tickets going to fans which we all found completely unacceptable."

Each country was allocated eight percent of the available tickets for their side's matches, while corporate sponsors were given almost 19 percent.

Perryman said more and more fans were travelling to support countries like South Korea, Japan, and Mexico and that the system would need to change.

Between 60,000 to 80,000 England supporters travelled to Germany for each England game but many of those who made it into the stadiums were forced to buy tickets on the black market.

During the finals, FIFA repeatedly said a huge percentage of tickets given to the sponsors reached genuine fans through competitions and promotions. Though some reached genuine fans through the black market, Phil Smith, head of policy at the Football Association, told Sky Sports News they were doing all they could to lobby the relevant bodies to allocate more tickets directly to fans for future tournaments.

In England, fans who follow the national side at competitive and friendly games are awarded caps and those with the most caps are at the top of the list to receive tickets for international tournaments.

"Of course corporations (and sponsors) need to have a number of tickets for VIPs and some of them are undoubtedly used in competitions but the best way to distribute them is directly to the fans through each competing Football Association," Perryman said. "We have a very democratic system in England and we think that should be the model worldwide."

Organisers of the 2008 European Championship have promised to free up a greater percentage of tickets to "genuine fans."

Source: euFootball.BIZ © Copyright 2006 - All rights reserved.