Illegal ticket touts set to face £20,000 fines ahead of Euro 2028

Touts flogging tickets for the home nations’ European Championships in four years are to be targeted as part of a government crackdown.

Euro 2028 will be held across the UK and Ireland with Hampden Park in Glasgow one of the stadiums that will host some of the biggest names in football.

The Scottish Government has launched a new consultation that could see individuals illegally selling tickets for the games hit with fines of up to £20,000.

Around three million tickets will go on sale for the tournament that will be hosted across ten cities including Glasgow, London, Belfast, Cardiff and Dublin.

And the proposals will see unauthorised street trading, advertising and ticket resales targeted to protect spectators from ending up out of pocket by paying over the odds or purchasing counterfeit briefs.

The consultation, to establish proposals for legislation to meet UEFA’s commercial rights protection requirements, will allow participants to share their views to shape robust protection measures for those fans planning on attending the matches staged in Scotland.

It will run until June 26.

On the announcement of the proposals on Thursday, 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.”