Hooligans can easily get World Cup tickets

SOCCER fans yesterday warned internet booking for World Cup tickets could open the floodgates for hordes of hooligans to hijack Germany 2006.

On the 10th anniversary of the Lansdowne Road riots when English fans went on the rampage, the Irish Football Supporters Association has written to FIFA over fears that right-wing thugs will get their hands on World Cup tickets.

IFSA general secretary Alan Hunter said authorities would have no way of controlling who attended games.

Mr Hunter claimed the same was true of thugs who travelled freely from England to Lansdowne Road in February 1995 on the back of tickets bought using credit cards.

He said true fans were afraid the same could be repeated at the World Cup.

“That is a security issue and a fans safety issue is absolutely one of the biggest fears. Tickets for Lansdowne Road were bought anonymously so there was nobody to check on them,” Mr Hunter said.

Around 4,000 English hooligans went on the rampage in the stadium after Ireland scored. They ripped up seats and fired home-made missiles into the crowds of Irish fans. The game was abandoned after 22 minutes.

Battles were fought between gardaí and hooligans for around 90 minutes after Irish fans fled the ground.

A total of 40 English fans and three Irish fans were arrested and more than 60 supporters were injured.

As part of preparations for Germany 2006 FIFA has set up a special pre-order credit card booking facility for fans eager to buy tickets online.

Mr Hunter said the decision to only allow Mastercard holders to book seats at matches had effectively barred the average football fan from attending.

“Fans are very, very angry that structures of ticketing preferences are going to ensure people who want to pay the most to get the tickets,” he said.

“One of the things that I find most repulsive is that a lot of soccer fans don’t have credit cards. There’s a strategy to target the more affluent in society.

“To run it exclusively through one credit card it’s anti-competitive, it’s a monopoly. It’s against fair play and that is the sort of values that FIFA ask us to aspire to.”

Mr Hunter said he had contacted the English Football Association to raise his concerns and was awaiting a response. He has also taken up the matter with the Football Association of Ireland.

He added that he hoped FIFA would look again at their decision to have an internet sale for tickets.