Illegal FA Cup tickets scandal uncovered

The BBC claims today that tickets to the May 30 FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Everton tickets are being sold illegally online before any tickets have even been issued to the two clubs. Radio 5 Live reports that one website is asking £1,040 for seats in the Chelsea section. Another is charging £713 for seats behind the Everton goal.

"The tickets haven't even been printed yet," said Ian Ross, a spokesman for Everton FC. "It's physically impossible for [anyone] to have them."

The resale of football tickets is banned in England because of the risk of rival supporters, normally carefully segregated, buying seats among rival fans - a recipe for trouble. One website owner contacted by the BBC said he was not breaking any rules because his business was based in Spain.

A spokesman for the FA, which is investigating the touts, said the fact that the company was based in Spain was irrelevant. "It is illegal in England. That's all that matters."

Fans claim they have to go to the touts because the Wembley ticketing system is inefficient and unfair. Even though the new stadium has a 90,000 capacity, only 52,000 tickets went directly to fans at last year's FA Cup final, Portsmouth and Cardiff receiving 26,000 each.

Of the rest, 20,000 were handed out to what is known as the 'football family', which includes sponsors, prize-winners and all manner of FA hangers-on. Finally, Club Wembley was allocated 17,000 tickets to sell to help cover the cost of building the new stadium. Fans say there would be no place for the touts if the FA could get its act together.

In the meantime, Everton and Chelsea are appealing to fans to wait and buy direct from the clubs once they get their allocation. "We're concerned our fans are possibly considering buying tickets online - which the websites just don't have," said the Merseyside club's spokesman.

Online ticket touts have been a problem for the Premier League, too, with lawyers' letters going out to owners of websites threatening prosecution. Thirty sites are said to have been closed down in the past six weeks as a result of the threat. ·