UEFA Blames Champions League Final Ticket Fiasco On Naples Mafia

UEFA is "blaming a major forged ticket problem at the Champions League final for the chaotic scenes around Berlin’s Olympic Stadium before the match," according to Charles Sale of the London DAILY MAIL. The ground authorities "tried to deal with 5,000 rogue tickets said to be in circulation -- blamed on the Naples mafia by senior UEFA sources -- by not opening the gates at some entrances until well over an hour later than advertised." Those "caught up in the fiasco included around 1,000 VIPs, sponsors and corporate guests." Having paid $5,000 for their Champions League experience, they "had to queue in cramped conditions in hot sunshine for over 90 minutes -- missing a sizeable chunk of hospitality time." UEFA, which said that it will not be paying compensation, "wanted to tackle the forgeries outside rather than inside the stadium." The counterfeit tickets "were so sophisticated the only difference was that the silver hologram was stuck on, rather than embedded as it was for genuine tickets" (DAILY MAIL, 6/7).