UEFA won an injunction in the UK High Court today against those wishing to sell Champions League final tickets on to others.
Online auction sites like Ebay are full of people trying to circumvent their rules by selling tickets at vastly inflated prices.
We heard one story about one Liverpool supporter who used PayPal to buy a ticket from someone who’d originally advertised on Ebay. By the time the fan had paid his money (£800), Ebay had caught on and taken his ad down. The fan did not get his ticket, instead receiving an envelope containing blank paper. This was in the hands of North Wales police last we heard.
The UEFA ban will apply to those using any means to sell tickets in this way. The actual High Court case however referred to two companies that have now been ordered to stop offering to buy sell or trade tickets for the game.
This injunction sets a legal precedent, in other words becomes law in any similar cases. The court also ordered the companies to supply details to UEFA of those offering to supply the tickets. They also have to refund any that have already been sold.
"I am delighted," said UEFA chief executive officer Lars-Christer Olsson. "This judgement sends out a clear and unequivocal signal to illegal ticket touts that we will not tolerate illegal ticket sales."
Liverpool operate a fan-card system where details of anyone buying tickets for any UEFA game are stored. This helps those wanting tickets for popular games to prove they’ve attended enough earlier matches, but it will also help trace any Liverpool fans that have already sold tickets to these agencies. The majority of black-market tickets are expected to have come from sources other than Liverpool FC, as numerous tickets were sold to the Turkish public and also through the UEFA.com website prior to the finalist being known.