MILLENNIUM STADIUM WARNING TO FANS
The Millennium Stadium will remain firm on its ‘no duplicate ticket policy’, thus confirming that original owners of the tickets will miss-out on the Cardiff Final, but has also issued a directive today to all fans to ensure they do not purchase the stolen tickets as they have now been rendered useless.
A Millennium Stadium Emergency Safety Advisory Group Meeting – consisting of senior South Wales Police staff, South Wales Fire Service representatives, the Cardiff County Council and Millennium Stadium- decreed that fans arriving with the stolen tickets, which have been fully logged and traced by ticket office headquarters, will not be admitted to the ground and anyone sitting in the corresponding seats will be ejected.
“South Wales Police are working closely with Merseyside Police over the theft of tickets for the FA Cup final,” said Chief Superintendent Bob Evans.
“We fully support the Millennium Stadium in its ‘no duplicate ticket policy’ and officers will be rigorously enforcing this on the day.
“My message is this; unless you have purchased your ticket through an official source it is probably forged or stolen. Don’t travel to Cardiff. You will not be allowed entry to the stadium. Anyone found in possession of a stolen ticket will be arrested.
“Anyone with any information about the tickets is asked to contact Merseyside Police 0151 7774064 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111”
The Safety Advisory Group and Millennium Stadium has looked at every option to accommodate the original owners of the tickets, however the potential for all stolen tickets turning up on Saturday along with the original owners would create a major safety concern and public order issues, as there are no spare seats within the stadium for individuals to be re-located.
“We have every sympathy for those football fans who have had their tickets stolen and have looked at all possibilities of re-seating these people but after a meeting with our safety advisory group we are standing by our no duplicates policy,” said Millennium Stadium chief executive Paul Sergeant.
“I’m sure all football fans will understand that we simply don’t have spare seats for an FA Cup Final and we cannot compromise on segregation or the safety of our employees-we’re full!
“There is no other way of managing this situation. I would like to urge people not to purchase any tickets other than from official sources and under no circumstances travel to Cardiff with the expectation of gaining entry to the Millennium Stadium if you do not possess a ticket.”
