Sinn Féin spokesperson on Sport, Chris Andrews TD, has called for urgent action to protect fans from ticket touting following the failure of the recently enacted Sale of Tickets Act to prevent ticket touts from selling tickets for the Ireland-Portugal World Cup Qualifier at up to four times their face value.

Teachta Andrews said:

“It is very disappointing to see football fans being failed by the much-lauded Sale of Tickets Act that became law in July of this year.

“The specific purpose of this legislation was to give sporting fans the protection they deserve from ticket touts.

“To see tickets for the World Cup qualifier between Ireland and Portugal listed for sale at two, three, and up to four times their face value is a real slap in the face for ordinary fans who simply just want to show support for Ireland on the international stage. This is unfair and needs to stop.

“I, along with my colleague Sinn Féin Enterprise spokesperson Louise O’Reilly TD, have written to the Tánaiste asking if the Aviva Stadium or the Football Association of Ireland applied to have the venue designated for the purposes of Sale of Tickets Act; and if they did not, did the Tánaiste reach out to the Aviva Stadium or the FAI and use his powers to have the venue designated to be protected from ticket touting for this game.

“We cannot have ordinary football fans missing out on tickets due to the failures of this legislation and government inaction.

“We need to see proactive steps being taken to by the Tánaiste to address any possible loopholes within the legislation. The government has badly let down fans through their failure to act. Fans just want to see fairness and it’s clear that the current system is failing to deliver that.”