Uefa European Championship (Scotland) Bill does not go far enough
The proposed Uefa European Championship (Scotland) Bill does not go far enough to ‘sustain the integrity’ of the event.
Under a new law tabled at Holyrood, touts who resell tickets for Euro 2028 football matches in Glasgow could face fines of up to £20,000. Ministers say it will help to ‘sustain the integrity’ of the event by allowing Scottish courts to levy fines on those who resell tickets for profit.
Finlay Swan, associate solicitor at Holmes Mackillop, says that the Bill is very likely to pass, but that while it primarily targets unauthorised ticket resales and will undoubtedly help to cure the traditional problem of individual ticket touts, it does not go far enough to ‘sustain the integrity’ of the sport.
“Yes, it is a good thing that the Bill will hinder individuals and small groups from buying a few tickets, to then immediately re-sell them for profit via social media and other platforms,” he said.
“Yes, it will quell the tout lurking outside Hampden mentioning in passing that he needs to give up a ticket or two. But frankly, are these types of touts really the big concern for your everyday football fan trying to see their national team? I do not think so.”
Swan says that the growing concern over the past 10 years has been the ability of massive household-name entities gobbling up batches of tickets upon initial sale and then selling them on at inflated prices (with the increase conveniently being referred to as a “service fee”).
“The Bill simply does not address this particular group, and even if it did, a penalty of up to £20,000 is a drop in the ocean for these entities,” he said.
“If the Scottish Government wants to prevent monopolisation of ticket sales, it will need to introduce further restrictions on bulk buying and resale fees.”
According to Swan, commercialisation of the game in the past 20 years has undoubtedly helped modernise the game, but there is a growing realisation that it has also stripped away the community-feel and accessibility of the sport.
“Touts have contributed to the pricing-out of fans from the game, and so whilst this Bill does have the right intentions, I fear it is aimed at a problem from a bygone-era – the man outside the ground waving a couple of tickets in the air – rather than the true culprits, the international faceless syndicates bulk-buying tickets with a view to profit. As a lifelong football fan, I know who I would rather the government targeted.
“Having read through the Bill, my advice is that you only buy tickets through the official channels. You do not want the disappointment of buying a ticket at a mark-up, to only have your ticket invalidated upon entry at Hampden.
“If you need to sell your ticket for legitimate reasons, use the official re-selling platform (which fans will recall the Euros in 2024 had) to avoid falling foul of this new Bill.”
ENDS
For further information please contact on Finlay Swan on tel 0141 226 4942