A B C D
E F G H
EU assesses French World Cup ticket share-out offer
BRUSSELS (AP) -- Soccer fans just might get a better idea today of whether they still have a chance of snapping up one of the precious few remaining tickets for the World Cup in France this summer.The French organizers of soccer's greatest competition have submitted proposals to the European Union stating how many of the 160,000 unsold tickets will be distributed to national soccer federations and how many will be sold on the open market in France.
EU regulators were assessing the French offer to see if it complies with the Union's fair trading rules. Details of the share-out offer were not immediately released.
Later today, the EU official in charge of the issue, Karel Van Miert, was set to explain the situation to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
The remaining seats represent only a small fraction of the total 2.5 million tickets for the 64 matches scheduled during the month-long tournament.
But they are like gold dust for the estimated 17.5 million fans who have tried and failed to secure tickets.
The problem is that French stadiums are relatively small, demand is huge and corporate sponsors are getting more and more tickets in return for lucrative backing.
Furious soccer authorities in participating nations say France has compounded the problem by selling almost two-thirds of tickets exclusively to French fans.
The 15-country EU is also concerned its laws on fair business competition and on the free trade across frontiers have been infringed by the decision to restrict the sale of so many tickets to French fans.
Under such pressure, the French have agreed to open up the distribution of the few remaining tickets. The organizing committee sent its proposals to the EU today explaining what proportion of the unsold tickets will be available to buyers outside France.
The EU also has problems with the French authorities insistence that tickets on sale in France should be limited to French fans.
That may break EU rules that say citizens from any of the 15 countries could be able to buy and sell goods anywhere in the Union. The French argue that letting foreigners buy the tickets could open the way for hooligan mayhem because rival fans would find themselves packed side-by-side in the World Cup stadiums.
NEXT ROUNDS: Round of 16 || Quarter-finals || Semi-finals
GROUP A: Brazil, Morocco, Norway, Scotland
GROUP B: Austria, Cameroon, Chile, Italy
GROUP C: Denmark, France, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
GROUP D: Bulgaria, Nigeria, Paraguay, Spain
GROUP E: Belgium, Holland, Mexico, South Korea
GROUP F: Germany, Iran, United States, Yugoslavia
GROUP G: Colombia, England, Romania, Tunisia
GROUP H: Argentina, Croatia, Jamaica, Japan