CL final tickets most expensive ever 18/02/2011 |
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Uefa has admitted that ticket prices for the Champions League final at Wembley on May 28 will be the most expensive ever.
The cheapest tickets on general sale will come to £150 plus a £26 administration fee, while the cheapest category for tickets available through the clubs will be £80.
Uefa's director of competitions Giorgio Marchetti said the prices were in line with comparable events such as the World Cup final or European Championship final.
Marchetti said at the ticket launch at London's City Hall: "The prices are based on the type of event and when you compare it to other events we don't think that the Champions League final is overpriced.
"We do not want to squeeze every single penny out of the market.
"We have to benchmark this event against other comparable events, like for example the final of the Euros and the World Cup.
"Last year there was already a significant increase compared to the previous editions but it's nothing to do with being in London and it is still priced below comparable events."
Uefa announced that 11,000 tickets will be available on general sale at £300, £225 and £150 with wheelchair entry costing £80. A certain number of £80 tickets will be available among the 25,000 allocated to each club in the final.
The cost of Champions League final tickets has rocketed since Rome 2009 – category three tickets have almost doubled since then, when they cost £80.
Marchetti faced hostile questioning about the administration fee and the cost of 'youth packages' – especially with Uefa president Michel Platini moving the final to a Saturday because he wanted to encourage more children to attend.
"That's also why we put some tickets for children at a discounted price," added Marchetti, though the cost of a package for one adult and one child is only available in category two and will cost £338. "That's a 50 per cent discount for the child," he said.
The £26 administration fee per two-ticket booking – or £36 outside of Europe – was justified because there were "costs involved".
Asked about the administration fee for the Uefa's women's Champions League final at Craven Cottage on May 26 – where tickets cost just £5 – Marchetti replied: "That is a nasty question. I hope you don't think the men's final and women's final have the same target of people. We are not making a profit – we have different targets and objectives for the women's final.
"This is the market price. Do you think we would have trouble filling Wembley if the prices were higher? You think it would be different?
"We try to strike a balance between the interest of the supporters and the interest of the event. Why should we price the tickets lower than what we think is a fair level?"
Uefa expects income from the Champions League final to top £14m – £3m more than last year's final in Madrid.
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