UEFA €2k tickets prove a hard sell

THERE were echoes of the ill-fated Vantage Club in the Shelbourne Hotel yesterday where UEFA launched their pricey Club Prestige packages for the Republic of Ireland’s Group C games at Euro 2012.

The available seats represent the four per cent of stadium capacity reserved by UEFA for corporate hospitality at the finals, and are aimed at blue-chip businesspeople with deep pockets.

The platinum deal costs €1,950 for each of the Irish games in Poznan or a hefty €2,250 for the clash with world champions Spain in Gdansk. It comes with private skybox and will include Irish national dishes — Dublin coddle would be a big hit with the pork-loving Poles.

There is a cheaper gold option, which weighs in at €1,450 per game and which offers a ‘less formal, less private’ experience. Alternatively, there are gold packages at €23,900 a head which cover all 15 games in Poland, as well as the final, or all 16 games in Ukraine.

UEFA say there has been a 30 per cent Irish take-up of the corporate offer — more than Spain — and they are hopeful of shifting the remainder by the end of April.

Like the Government’s optimism over prompt payment of household tax, such confidence may be slightly misplaced. Sourcing individuals and companies of high net worth these days isn’t easy, as the FAI found out when they tried to flog Vantage Club 10-year tickets for Aviva Stadium.

But UEFA may have missed a trick yesterday by not having a marquee name at the launch. WHILE they signed Peter Stringer up for another season yesterday, there is no sign of Munster securing a replacement for departing coach Tony Mcgahan just yet. With uncertainty now swirling around early front-runner Anthony Foley, exotic names such as Pat Lam, Rob Penney and Wayne Smith have been linked with the job. Sources in Munster say no one as yet has been approached, which suggests that there is a healthy degree of promotion going on in New Zealand. DONNACHA RYAN (right) shared a pint with Wales bad-boy Bradley Davies just hours after he was on the receiving end of a spear tackle.

The Wales second-row dumped Ryan on to his head during the closing stages of Wales’ Six Nations victory at Aviva Stadium, and was banned for seven weeks. ‘Obviously I regret what happened,’ he said. ‘I overstepped the mark and the emotions got the better of me.

‘I shook his hand after the game and he was really understanding. Luckily enough, he went on to have an outstanding tournament and was probably one of the best players for Ireland.’ JOHN GILES is taking to the streets of Dublin again on May 7 for his second ‘Walk of Dreams’ charity venture. The first one sparked many complaints, particularly on the streets of Dublin where there was a shortage of water and toilets, and Giles went on Liveline to apologise. He said he didn’t want to be associated with an event that wasn’t a success but said lessons had been learned and would be put to use in the future. Aside from hefty running costs estimated at €500,000, the first walk raised €360,000, €100,000 of which went to 42 community projects last August.