UEFA has warned football fans not to buy Euro 2024 tickets via third parties because it is illegal, with their own ticket portal the exclusive way of purchasing them.
Europe's ruling body told dpa that almost 10,000 supposed tickets were cancelled before the tournament, and that the number is now even higher.
UEFA has taken legal action against those offering tickets illegally on the internet but tickets for matches such as Friday's quarter-final between hosts Germany against Spain in Stuttgart are still being offered, many at inflated prices.
"UEFA has warned fans about unauthorised ticket sellers trying to take advantage of the high demand by offering tickets on the secondary market," UEFA said.
The only official way to get tickets is via the UEFA ticket portal where the prices are clearly defined. But the only slim chance to be successful there is via returned tickets.
Demand has by far outnumbered the number of tickets available, with UEFA speaking of almost 50 million applications for 2.4 million tickets.
UEFA is trying to counter the black market by using digital tickets onnly, and exclusively via its own app.
Tickets can still be transferred to a friend or a family member but selling them on for a profit via third-party providers is prohibited in the terms and conditions.
UEFA said this has "enabled us to identify breaches of the terms and conditions that lead to the cancellation of tickets. Such a process would not have been possible with paper tickets."
Those offering tickets in front of the stadiums operate in a grey area of sorts. It is not family members, and the definition of a friend can be stretched. The key here is not selling on a large scale and not for inflated prices to avoid being part of the black market.
