Fans going the extra mile on Rocky Road to Poland

FAI chief John Delaney says the frenzy over Euro 2012 tickets has reached the point where fans are attending his nine-year-old son’s football matches in a desperate attempt to prise a ticket from the association’s top man.

Up to 20,000 Irish fans are planning to travel to Poland this summer for the football extravaganza, the majority without tickets.

The FAI yesterday quarried another 700 tickets for Irish fans for each of their three group games against Croatia, Spain and Italy, but Mr Delaney accepted they had no hope of meeting demands for the tournament.