Football ticket touts to be targeted in crackdown ahead of Euro 2028 in Scotland

SCOTTISH football fans are being urged to give their views on plans to crack down on ticket touts at Euro 2028.

The tournament, which is being jointly hosted by Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, will include matches at Hampden Park in Glasgow.

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Around three million tickets are expected to be put on sale for the whole tournament in an effort to enable access for as many fans as possible.

But, there are concerns touts could seek to flog tickets, with supporters facing being ripped off.

It has prompted the Scottish Government to bring forward new laws to ban ticket touting, as well as bolstering restrictions on street trading and advertising.

The crackdown plans include fines of up to £20,000 for anyone who is caught selling or advertising tickets in person.

While those caught selling or advertising tickets online could face fines of £5,000.

But the Scottish Government are considering ramping up the fines issued to online touts to match the fines issued to street traders.

This comes after Uefa previously complained that the measures “did not go far enough” to tackle the issue at Euro 2020.

The SNP’s Europe Minister Kaukab Stewart said: “Glasgow has become one of the world’s top cities for staging major sporting events, and EURO 2028 will follow in the footsteps of the recent World Athletics Indoor Championships – these matches belong to everyone and it’s important we ensure tickets are accessible.

“This valuable consultation underlines our commitment to protecting Scottish people from the threat of ticket touts, ensuring fair and equitable access to EURO 2028 games in Scotland.

“I would encourage everybody with an interest in this eagerly awaited event to share their views and help to shape legislation ahead of EURO 2028 happening in Glasgow.”

All host nations are required to ban ticket-touting under Uefa rules.

Nations must ensure there are both criminal offences and effective enforcement for those caught street trading.

This also applies to anyone caught participating in unauthorised advertising or the unauthorised resale of tickets through secondary markets.

Unauthorised trading or marketing will be strictly prohibited in official “event zones” areas.

Hampden Park and other fan zone locations in Glasgow will be classed as official “event zones” areas.