UEFA issue warning to greedy touts

UEFA and British police have sent a letter to touts warning they may take action to prevent Champions League final tickets being sold on for high profits.

Tickets for the final between Liverpool and AC Milan in Athens have been changing hands at many times face value but new laws in the UK mean touting can be a criminal offence.

The new legislation came into force last month and makes it a criminal offence in England and Wales for an unauthorised person to sell a ticket for a designated football match including Champions League and UEFA Cup matches.

The new law specifically makes it a criminal offence to offer the tickets over the internet or to sell a ticket as part of a hospitality package.

UEFA have already cancelled a number of tickets sold in breach of their ticketing terms and conditions, as a clear warning sign to those involved.

Meanwhile, the FA have defended their decision to allocate only 50,000 tickets to fans of Manchester United and Chelsea for the FA Cup final at the 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium.

Each club was given 25,000 tickets to sell for the match on May 19, the first FA Cup final to be played at the newly-built stadium, and the FA have been criticised for the way tickets for the game have been divided up.

Director of communications Adrian Bevington insisted the FA were “sympathetic” to the plight of fans who have missed out, but insisted the game’s top events are always oversubscribed.

The FA also promised to do their best to stamp out the selling of tickets at inflated prices on internet auction sites.