England to seek tickets increase

The English Football Association are to apply for more tickets for the World Cup finals following fears of a "terrible black market" developing in France. David Mellor, head of the Government's football task force, said yesterday he was worried about the number of tickets allocated for England fans in each game.

Under current rules 60 per cent of tickets are intended for the French market, 20 per cent for FIFA and only 20 per cent between the two competing teams.

That means that in a stadium seating 40,000, the 20,000 members of the England Travel Club and thousands of other fans would be chasing just 4,000 tickets.

Sir Brian Hayes, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, who is heading the FA's security operation, believes that number is far too low and could lead to problems.

He confirmed the FA will attempt to have the number of tickets available raised and added that he would raise the matter when he meets French police and tournament chiefs later this month.

Sir Brian said: "If you get a stadium holding 40,000 then we would only get 4,000 tickets which would not seem nearly enough.

"There are more than 20,000 members of the England Travel Club, people registered with the FA, so that gives you some idea of the potential demand.

"And remember that people can travel in three hours to Lens where one of the games is taking place. The FA will be making a strong case to get the allocation raised."

Mellor had earlier expressed his concern that the small number of tickets officially available would lead to a "black market" and cause similar crowd trouble which marred England's qualifier in Rome last year.

"We cannot have a situation as happened in Italy where the Italian police were just looking to crack heads," Mellor told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"I am very worried about the ticketing situation in France. I think there is going to be a terrible black market in those tickets. It would be awful if the World Cup were marred by spectator trouble.

"We are vulnerable if nothing can be done about the travelling hooligan because he spoils it for the rest of the travelling fans with the risk of respectable people being caught up in police overreaction."

Sir Brian (57), who is fluent in French and Spanish, acknowledges there is still a hooligan problem but is confident that the small number of trouble makers can be contained.

He added: "In recent years, since the 1980s when we were having a lot of hooliganism, it has been much reduced in the domestic game.

"There is still a problem when fans travel abroad but over the past few years we have built up a tremendous reservoir of expertise.

"We already know from making contact with the French that they are very keen to listen to that but at the end of the day it's their match, we can offer all sorts of things but its up to the host country what they accept."

Sir Brian's meeting with the French police and tournament organisers will take place in midJanuary and he will discuss all the important areas of security and organisation.

"I shall be raising such matters as their general policy on ticket control, segregation, how they will handle fans going to and from grounds and inside them and how they are going to cope with the enormous movement of fans across the country travelling in different directions," he said.

"Because France is so close and there are big gaps between the matches, it may be that supporters will travel back and forth and not stay for the duration."