GERMANY BRACED FOR 500,000 ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND FANS AS EURO 2024 TICKETS SELL OUT

German authorities are expecting a staggering 500,000 football fans to descend on their country from the UK this summer.

That estimate has been made with 350,000 England supporters and 150,000 following Scotland at the Euros in Germany. It shows the incredible levels of support behind England and Scotland and tickets were sold out immediately with a huge demand for seats, travel and hotel rooms.

UEFA said they would give each national association 10,000 tickets for each game with the Football Association then selling theirs through the official England Supporters’ Travel Club. That means they will get a minimum of 30,000 for the games in Gelsenkirchen, Frankfurt and Cologne and the FA distributes them through a “cap system” to reward the most loyal fans.

Clearly, ticket holders will make up a small fraction of those travelling to Germany but the authorities insist they are ready and will welcome supporters this summer. They have fan zones in each host city and, after staging a hugely successful World Cup in 2006, they believe their transport, infrastructure and facilities are all ready.

German authorities have made a huge play about it being a sustainable tournament and will offer reduced train fares to ticket holders while they are also determined to champion diversity. The Germans took a powerful stand in the last World Cup, covering their mouths in the pre-match team photo before their first group match with Japan as a protest against FIFA banning teams from wearing the rainbow armband.

Those official estimates reveal just how much support there is for international football but also that the authorities are ready to host a huge tournament.

==============

John Terry revealed he learned some tricks of the trade from Alan Shearer when the Chelsea legend was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.

Sky presenter Kelly Cates hosted the Premier League event and asked Terry who was his toughest opponent. The former England captain said it was Thierry Henry… but then told a lovely anecdote about Shearer with the BBC presenter sat in the select audience.

Former Chelsea defender Terry revealed how he faced Shearer towards the end of the ex-Newcastle striker’s career but clocked how he thought he had referees in his back pocket.

Terry said Shearer used to call all the officials by their first names and was appealing for everything with success. So, Terry quickly learned their names - and insisted it did make a difference.

==================

Television bosses were watching with interest last weekend because the 3pm blackout was broken.

It is incredibly rare for this to happen but occurred because Celtic’s mammoth Scottish FA Cup semi-final went to extra time, penalties and also had fairly lengthy added time.

The game kicked off at 12.30pm but did not finish until gone 3.20pm. That overlaps the blackout which actually starts at 2.45pm and runs until 5.15pm with the idea that showing games during this time would put people off from actually going to matches.

The blackout is in the UEFA statute and the British national associations are among the few not to ask for it to be lifted. The game was shown on BBC Scotland and was available south of the border.

There is no actual punishment likely because, even though it is a UEFA rule, it is down to the relevant FAs to enforce it. So, the Scottish FA are hardly likely to take action against themselves.

Worth noting that when Coventry played Wolves in the FA Cup quarter-finals on a Saturday lunchtime it had an earlier kick-off time of 12.15pm in case it went all the way.

====================

Pep Guardiola probably picked the wrong target when he rounded on broadcasters for scheduling Manchester City’s FA Cup semi-final on the Saturday, less than 72 hours after their Champions League quarter-final with Real Madrid.

TV companies probably would have preferred the City game on the Sunday, not knowing that Manchester United’s game with Coventry would turn into a classic.

But it could not be played on the Sunday because the Premier League had already scheduled Arsenal v Chelsea on Tuesday for TV purposes.

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

2024-04-25T13:38:43Z dg43tfdfdgfd