UK Edition
Tottenham and Liverpool fans warned they may have bought bogus Champions League final tickets
Thousands of Tottenham and Liverpool fans faced heartbreak as they arrived in Madrid on Friday night after being warned they may have bought invalid tickets for the Champions League final.
Concerned Uefa officials issued a fresh warning to supporters amid estimates that record numbers of seats had been unlawfully sold on, some for in excess of £10,000, on secondary websites such as StubHub and Viagogo.
Spanish police have since stepped up efforts to ensure fans that those turning up without officially-purchased tickets will be stopped before getting into the ground. "There will be a false-ticket detection system at all access gates to the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium," a statement from the local Madrid force said.
Uefa, meanwhile, said: "It is believed that there is a high number of fake tickets in circulation and arrests have already been made in a clampdown on bogus tickets. Holders of forged tickets will not be allowed into the stadium."
The warning came as 50,000 supporters - a third of them ticketless - descended on the Spanish capital in sweltering conditions on Friday. In addition to secondary websites, desperate fans have been targeted by crime gangs selling fakes. "Uefa urges all football fans to refrain from purchasing tickets or hospitality packages from unauthorised sellers, agents or websites, as tickets obtained in breach of Uefa's terms and conditions will be invalid," the governing body added.
StubHub and Viagogo both confirmed they have been been contacting any buyers this week to warn them that the sellers will not fulfil the sale. The websites are offering refunds. Tottenham have banned three fans indefinitely and Liverpool are investigating five supporters who advertised tickets for the final on resale sites.
On the streets of Madrid, more than 4,000 heavily-armed officers set about creating a ring of steel around the stadium. Officers announced it was using special technology to disrupt rogue drones amid fears that the biggest club fixtures in world sport could be targeted by terrorists. Officers will use their own drone, however, to identify potential troublemakers on the surrounding streets.
There is particular concern about potential flash-points as the crowds swell again on Saturday in temperatures exceeding 30C. By kick-off tomorrow, 70,000 Liverpool and Tottenham fans are expected in Madrid and there are no plans for any big screens in the fan zones.
Fans of both sides described journeys of more than 24 hours yesterday. A group of eight Liverpool fans from California and Australia admitted they had spent a combined total of about £40,000 on travel. Mark Fresco, 48, a Spurs fan from Plymouth, said: "We've travelled so far to get here. Given the difficulty getting hold of tickets, it would have been nice to see some large screens. They won't like us cramming into the bars."
Dozens of extra "football special" flights were put on yesterday in the busiest ever in the history of British aviation, with about 9,000 arrivals or departures from UK airports.
In terms of demand and viewing figures, Saturday night's final is expected to at least match the biggest in Champions League history. BT Sport and broadcasters around the world are expecting record audiences.
Rob Wilson, a football finance expert at Sheffield Hallam University, said the dominance of English sides in Europe this season would give the Premier League huge extra bargaining power in their next round of TV rights negotiations, both in the UK and abroad, that could push their combined value above £10 billion for three-year deals.
On Friday night there were allegations of heavy-handed tactics levelled at local police as the major security operation swung into action. Officers with batons swept in to confront Tottenham fans at the Cafe and Tapas restaurant, just off the Puerta del Sol fan area, shortly after 9pm.
A restaurant worker told the Daily Telegraph police were responding to complaints that the Spurs supporters had been acting aggressively and shouting abuse at Liverpool fans.
However, supporters gathered outside the bar claimed the intervention came completely unprompted.
"We were having a laugh and having a joke - it was all Tottenham and just fun," said one supporter. "Then suddenly two of them (police) come at us and suddenly it was bang, bang, they all came steaming in. Smashing tables with their batons. They're doing it just because they can. They are bang out of order." A woman nearby agreed: "They were making no trouble. They just went steaming in in riot gear."
"I had an eight year old boy on my shoulders," said Spurs fan Harry Wade, 27. "It was his first away day and we were all having a nice time."
Liverpool fans inside the bar disputed the story, however, claiming they heard a small group of Spurs fans shouting provocatively about Merseyside.
An employee at the Cafe and Tapas bar confirmed police had been called, but said officers acted "too heavily". There were also reports of a small skirmish between fans and police after a brawl in the Liverpool fan zone.