UEFA warned against buying tickets for Euro 2012 from anywhere but its own website, saying fans risked being ripped off and unable to get into games.
With only weeks until tickets go on sale for next year’s championships, football’s continental governing body underscored that uefa.com was the only authorised channel.
“You can only apply for tickets on the official website,” UEFA’s championships’ chief Martin Kallen told reporters in Warsaw this week.
“There are no other sources. All other sources are in principle illegal,” he said.
From March 1-31, fans can sign up for a chance to buy up to four of more than 550,000 tickets available to the general public at Euro 2012.
Cologne lose appeal over dodgy fax
The German football league (DFL) rejected an appeal from Cologne over a failed last-minute transfer which was scuppered by a temperamental fax machine.
Cologne launched the appeal after managing to fax the transfer request for Hamburg’s Cameroonian Eric-Maxime Choupo-Moting to the DFL 12 minutes after the deadline of 18.00 on Monday.
To make matters worse, Cologne had twice tried to fax the relevant documents before the deadline, to no avail.
But the DFL stuck to its mantra of one rule for all, insisting that adhering to the deadline strictly guaranteed the integrity of transfers.
Redknapp hints at Beckham move
Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp would like to sign David Beckham when his Los Angeles Galaxy contract expires as the north London club keep up their bid for a Champions League spot.
After much speculation about the possibility of Beckham joining on loan last month, the former England skipper instead trained with Spurs.
Redknapp has not ruled out signing Beckham when his deal runs out in November, even though the player will be 36.
Redknapp said: “I could do, yeah. I love him, I love the way he plays.”
Cable theft blacks out final venue
The Soweto stadium that hosted the 2010 World Cup final cannot stage a fixture this weekend because cable theft has left the ground without power.
A Premier Soccer League statement said the match between Kaizer Chiefs and Moroka Swallows had been postponed after the theft triggered a power surge and all electricity to the stadium was cut.
Soccer City boasts a capacity of 94,000 – making it the biggest sports stadium in Africa – and has been used as a home venue this season by Chiefs.
Copper cable theft in South Africa effects electricity, telecommunications and rail services and the estimated annual cost to industry is estimated at more than one $1 billion.
Neville staying for the season
Gary Neville has confirmed his intention to remain within the Manchester United fold for the remainder of the season. The 35-year-old announced his retirement with immediate effect in midweek.
Although there has been speculation about a media career with Sky, or a place in Alex Ferguson’s backroom team, Neville does not have any concrete plans, although he will stay with the Red Devils in the short-term to help out behind the scenes.
“I am going to stay at the club until the end of the season and do some coaching because I have got my coaching badge to complete,” he said.
“But at this moment in time my mindset isn’t to go into coaching. I want to have 12 months to gather my thoughts. I don’t want to rush into another relationship quickly.”
Fowler slams Torres over Reds departure
Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler has criticised Fernando Torres following his record-breaking move to Chelsea. The 35-year-old Perth Glory player was taking part in a radio promotion yesterday to raise money for Queensland flood victims.
Perth’s players were asked to wear a ‘Shirt that Hurt’ for the event, and Fowler arrived in a no.9 Liverpool top worn backwards and emblazoned with Torres’s name, explaining it was to express his unhappiness at the £50m transfer.
“There is nothing wrong with the front of the shirt but it’s just the name on the back,” Fowler said.
“With what’s happened this week, it’s a shirt that not only myself but many Liverpool fans would rather not wear just yet.”
Rovers chairman quits after 14 years
Blackburn chairman John Williams has quit after 14 years, in the latest high-profile departure involving a senior official at the Indian-owned Premier League club.
Williams said Rovers faced a “new dawn” under Indian company Venky’s and the time was right for him to quit.
Williams’s departure had been expected, according to British media reports. The Rovers chairman was said to be unhappy with Venky’s decision to fire manager Sam Allardyce shortly after their takeover of the club last year.
Williams joined Rovers as chief executive in 1997 before stepping up to executive chairman in 2005.