UEFA: Ireland could take the whole stadium

THERE was further unwelcome ticket news for Irish fans yesterday when UEFA announced a reduction in allocations for the European Championships.

For group games the standard allocation of 20% to each team has been reduced to 16% of venue capacity, while for the quarter-finals and semi-finals the figure is down from 6,000 to 5,000, regardless of the size of the venue. Supporters of the two finalists will receive 9,000 tickets each.

“We have reduced the capacity of supporters to 5,000 each,” Martin Kallen, UEFA’s operations director for Euro 2012 told reporters in Kiev. “It makes it easier logistically than when we have 20% of the capacity for each. Some countries do not have as many supporters and we want to give local people a chance to ensure we have full stadiums.”

Kallen readily conceded the problem for a well supported team like Ireland will be one of demand outstripping supply.

“I think so, because the Irish are known as football lovers and to also go to the venues,” he said. “In the past, I had a very good experience with the Irish when going to the venues, it was always very colourful. So I suppose there will be many Irish people coming to Ukraine and Poland. If Ireland got to the quarter-finals then I think you could take the whole stadium! That is clear but these are now the rules and that is something you cannot change.”

However, Kallen also offered some possible consolation when he added: “If one association returns tickets then they usually go to the opponent.”

It’s also worth noting these allocations – accessible via an FAI Fan Sales Portal on www.uefa.com from December 12 – are in addition to tickets already bought for the tournament directly from UEFA by supporters travelling to Poland and Ukraine. Kallen also said UEFA were working hard to curb ticket touting but that total eradication was impossible.

“We have done a lot,” he said. “We have stopped a lot of touts – some thousands — but 100% you cannot. A big proportion we have under control, we have put measures in putting the tickets out very late, looking who has applied for them and tracing all of the data. Until the end we will do check controls at the stadia. If touts are selling tickets we have the means through legislation to arrest them.”