Tickets for the Europa League final in Amsterdam are already being sold for more than $3,700 on the online ticket marketplace Viagogo, according to Fifield & Gibson of the London GUARDIAN. Such prices "are leaving Chelsea supporters further incensed as they struggle to come to terms with UEFA's official allocation for the game against Benfica." The two clubs have received only 9,800 tickets each for the match "at what will be a reduced-capacity 48,000-seat Amsterdam ArenA" on May 15 -- amounting to only 40% of the gate -- with the remainder granted to sponsors, official partners and the UEFA "football family." A proportion of Chelsea's allocation "will be offered to club staff," with tickets priced from £39-117 ($60.7-$182.1), and UEFA "has advertised gold and platinum packages" for the event at €690 ($904.5) and €890 ($1,166.7), respectively, on its website. However, Viagogo, whose U.K. operation is Chelsea's official ticket partner, "already has 11 pages of available tickets being sold by third parties," with prices as high as $3,712.70, plus a 15% booking fee and postage, despite a face value of €45-135 ($59-$177). Chelsea Supporters Trust member Tim Rolls said, "The allocation is clearly inadequate and I would appeal to UEFA to think about changing this in future" (GUARDIAN, 5/3).
TICKETMASTER GETS '14 COMMONWEALTH GAMES: The BBC reported, ticketing firm Ticketmaster has been chosen to sell "about one million tickets for sporting events at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow." The company will be responsible for online and telephone sales along with box office outlets at game venues. Ticketmaster will also be a sponsor of the games as well as of the official ticketing services provider (BBC, 5/2).
