Euro 2020 Ticket Touting Ban Introduced

Date: 18th December 2019

The Scottish Parliament unanimously passed the UEFA European Championship Bill yesterday, and this piece of legislation will be in place for the entirety of 2020 as Hampden Park hosts three games in the European Championships (hopefully featuring the Scotland men’s national team).

The legislation, which ensures that each host nation meets minimum standards required by UEFA, covers areas such as ticket touting, street trading and advertising. As part of the Scottish Government’s consultation for this legislation, we were invited to provide the supporters’ perspective. The legislation will be followed by regulations, to be introduced in the first months of 2020, to extend and provide clarity on the scope of the Bill, and we will continue to engage with the Scottish Government to ensure that supporters’ rights and concerns are given proper consideration – and to ensure that the legislation and regulations are clearly communicated to supporters.

Ticket Touting

The legislation intends to protect the rights of supporters to see games at a fair price. The focus of the legislation is on preventing individuals or companies selling tickets for a profit, and there are exceptions to allow tickets to be used as prizes for charity auctions. UEFA will operate a re-sale mechanism for ticket holders to sell tickets at face value – so if your circumstances have changed since buying your tickets there will be a legal route for you to allow others to enjoy the games in your place. We will share details of the re-sale platform when it is available, and provide guidance on your rights as a ticket holder, or as someone wishing to see the games who was unable to purchase tickets in the initial sale period.

Street Trading

Unauthorised street trading will be prohibited in the immediate surroundings of Hampden Park. We understand that exceptions to these restrictions may be made to allow charity collections and busking.

Advertising

The intent of the legislation is to prevent ‘ambush marketing’ by companies who do not have an official partnership with UEFA. One area of concern is that in previous competitions this type of rule has been used to prevent supporters making political statements. We believe it is important that the rights of supporters to free speech are protected. These championships are a celebration of 60 years of European competition, and at a time when Brexit is likely to still be dominating our lives it is inevitable that supporters will have something to say about it. We do not wish to see this legislation be used to force the removal of banners, except of course in cases where they are offensive or disrespectful to others, and will push for exceptions to be made in the regulations being developed.

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