Every year, the Union of European Football Associations prohibits purchasers to resell tickets for Champions League final. Every year, tickets are being resold. The 2018 Champions League final in Kyiv is no exception.
The final game between Liverpool and Real Madrid football clubs will take place at the Olympic Stadium on May 26.
The tickets issued by UEFA sold through its official website and distributed through the team’s official fan clubs. People could apply for tickets online indicating their first and last names, as well as other passport information. After all the applications were in, the system randomly chose who got the tickets.
Officially, tickets cost 70, 160, 320 and 450 euros depending on the seat location.
According to the UEFA Champions League Final ticketing Terms and Conditions, any resale is strictly prohibited and the stadium employees can check the attendees’ IDs.
“The entrance to the stadium shall be authorized upon presentation of a valid ticket per person (regardless of age) and, upon request, proof of identity with valid photograph and signature (passport or national identity card),” the document reads.
In case of breaching the rules, a person will be refused to enter the stadium or can be evicted from it, and may be liable to further legal action. And any unauthorized sale of tickets may be reported to the police.
Nevertheless, the web is full of websites offering tickets for any stadium area. Prices are much higher than the original ones, going from 400 euros to 11,000 euros.
The online scalpers, both foreign and Ukrainian, are hard to reach via phones and messengers.
One of them, a Ukrainian company working through the website www.f-tickets.com, sells tickets for 650-5,000 euros, or 10 times the original price.
Their sales agent told the Kyiv Post via phone that they have been reselling tickets for major sports events for five years.
The agent said that the tickets they sold included personal information for identification but assured it wouldn’t be a problem because the UEFA doesn’t check IDs at the stadiums.
In the comment to the Kyiv Post, the UEFA’s press service said it was actively enforcing its ticket terms and conditions, including by monitoring the internet for ticker offers.
“UEFA will take action (including canceling tickets) where such unauthorized offers are identified and, where legally possible, will take legal proceedings against unauthorized sellers,” it told the Kyiv Post on May 25.
