Britain's New Scotland Yard is to clamp down on illegal ticket sellers and scalpers ahead of next year's World Cup.
As part an operation by the yard's new central e-Crime Unit, FIFA yesterday declared war on unauthorised online ticket sellers.
The unit will target illegal online ticket reselling globally and shut websites selling fake World Cup tickets.
In a statement yesterday, FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke warned fans who bought fake online tickets that they would be barred from entering stadiums next year.
"Our work with New Scotland Yard is yet another example that we are taking serious steps to stop unauthorised entities from selling 2010 Fifa World Cup tickets," said Valcke.
"We applaud the yard's efforts to ensure the achievement of our common goal of targeting and shutting illegitimate and unauthorised ticket sellers. We cannot accept fans being cheated."
Fifa said unauthorised operators were exploiting the popularity of the World Cup by luring unsuspecting fans across the world into purchasing illegitimate or unauthorised tickets and ticket-inclusive travel packages.
One of the measures taken to prevent forgery, said Fifa spokesman Wolfgang Eichler, was to print the official match tickets just a few weeks before the tournament kick-off.
Local authorities have also warned they would "come down hard" on those selling black market tickets.
Local Organising Committee (LOC) chief executive Danny Jordaan said those caught selling tickets on the black market would be charged and issued with hefty fines.
A high level delegation of Fifa and LOC experts are in South Africa to inspect the country's newly built World Cup stadiums.
The group of 50, which kicked off their countrywide inspection tour in Cape Town yesterday, includes experts ranging from stadium technical teams to specialists in security, competitions, hospitality, ticketing, media, marketing, television and information technology.
The tour is being conducted in collaboration with the host cities and involves detailed operational planning for the World Cup. They will also look at the functional use of spaces in and around the stadiums.
The group will visit the five newly built World Cup stadiums, as well as Soccer City Stadium, and conduct a virtual inspection of the four Confederations Cup venues, Fifa spokeswoman Delia Fischer said yesterday.
The inspection group moves to the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth today, the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban tomorrow and Nelspruit's Mbombela Stadium on Monday.
As part an operation by the yard's new central e-Crime Unit, FIFA yesterday declared war on unauthorised online ticket sellers.
The unit will target illegal online ticket reselling globally and shut websites selling fake World Cup tickets.
In a statement yesterday, FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke warned fans who bought fake online tickets that they would be barred from entering stadiums next year.
"Our work with New Scotland Yard is yet another example that we are taking serious steps to stop unauthorised entities from selling 2010 Fifa World Cup tickets," said Valcke.
"We applaud the yard's efforts to ensure the achievement of our common goal of targeting and shutting illegitimate and unauthorised ticket sellers. We cannot accept fans being cheated."
Fifa said unauthorised operators were exploiting the popularity of the World Cup by luring unsuspecting fans across the world into purchasing illegitimate or unauthorised tickets and ticket-inclusive travel packages.
One of the measures taken to prevent forgery, said Fifa spokesman Wolfgang Eichler, was to print the official match tickets just a few weeks before the tournament kick-off.
Local authorities have also warned they would "come down hard" on those selling black market tickets.
Local Organising Committee (LOC) chief executive Danny Jordaan said those caught selling tickets on the black market would be charged and issued with hefty fines.
A high level delegation of Fifa and LOC experts are in South Africa to inspect the country's newly built World Cup stadiums.
The group of 50, which kicked off their countrywide inspection tour in Cape Town yesterday, includes experts ranging from stadium technical teams to specialists in security, competitions, hospitality, ticketing, media, marketing, television and information technology.
The tour is being conducted in collaboration with the host cities and involves detailed operational planning for the World Cup. They will also look at the functional use of spaces in and around the stadiums.
The group will visit the five newly built World Cup stadiums, as well as Soccer City Stadium, and conduct a virtual inspection of the four Confederations Cup venues, Fifa spokeswoman Delia Fischer said yesterday.
The inspection group moves to the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth today, the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban tomorrow and Nelspruit's Mbombela Stadium on Monday.
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