No wonder the lads are smiling
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ENGLAND fans are being fleeced by greedy touts as they rush to cheer the Three Lions to glory in Russia.
Supporters’ groups warned last night that secondary sites are selling tickets for tomorrow’s clash with Colombia at obscene prices – and buyers could risk being turned away at the venue.
Despite FIFA filing a criminal complaint against Viagogo, 580 tickets listed on the site were selling fast.
Category three seats, the lowest level available to non-Russians, were going for £360 while the official FIFA price is £83. Category ones, the highest available at about £177, were on sale for £513.
Other sites, such as ticketbazaar.co. uk, were offering tickets at up to £870 for
category one and £487 for category three. And on Facebook, tickets were on sale for $700 (£530) and $900 (£681). The seller claimed to have 40 available.
FIFA has warned it will cancel tickets found to have been bought through unauthorised sellers.
Kevin Miles, chief executive of the Football Supporters Federation, urged fans to “exercise caution”.
He said: “There have been a number of instances where supporters have paid for tickets which turn out to have been cancelled and they have been turned away from games.”
A loophole in the Fan ID system, which also acts as a visa to enter Russia, means supporters can use any ticket reference number to register, whether they have a valid ticket or not.
FIFA said ticket offers had been removed from some sites but would not say how many had been cancelled. A spokesman said: “FIFA regards illicit sale and distribution of tickets as a serious issue.”
The Daily Mirror approached Viagogo for a comment last night.
Meanwhile, Colombia fans are expected to outnumber England’s two to one in Moscow’s Spartak Stadium. We have sold 32,362 tickets for the tournament, compared with their 65,234. And as the Three Lions get ready, they will go through a range of superstitious rituals for luck. Jesse Lingard, 25, said: “I do speak to myself before I go out. I don’t speak out loud, it is in my head. I’ll be saying ‘Come on Jesse, let’s do this’.” Ashley Young, 32, puts his left sock on first and Dele Alli, 22, will wear his lucky shinpads, which he has had since 11.