Every ticket will be checked

I'll just make a fake ID...

I could pass for Rebecca M'Bgwe right?

 

The scalpers will get their money. It's the fans who will be screwed. How many thousands of tickets have people already bought in the secondary market? If those tickets weren't successfully transferred, the scalpers will be earning interest on their profits while fans are being turned away at the gates. You think the scalpers are going to give refunds because people don't get in? Everyone who buys a ticket from a non-FIFA source knew there was a chance of ID checks. Having said that, it is INSANE to check every person's ID as they enter a stadium. You're going to have language barriers, confusion, irate fans that can't get into a game after they've traveled around the world. If the German security officials are thinking rationally they would recognize that they'll have a lot fewer problems if the people are sitting inside the stadium watching a match instead of milling around outside a stadium they can't get in to. This is probably just more bluster by the OC to try to reduce ticket scalping.

 

Agreed. And, BTW, FIFA--it's a bit late to try to reduce the scalping.

 

What a silly move to announce this now.

If they wanted to avoid scalping, this should have been out in the open before tickets even became available, and should have been continually repeated throughout all sales. That way, people won't buy from scalpers.

I was under the impression that the primary goal of FIFA/German organizers is to have every stadium completely full, every seat filled. Well this is a great way to make that not happen, and to have loads of pissed off fans who just dropped hundreds or thousands of dollars have to wait outside a stadium while their empty seat remains empty inside.

My guess? They will let everyone in. They aren't going to have half empty stadiums with the other half standing outside. Makes no sense. It's too late to stop the scalping that has already happened.

Very poor play by the German organizers.


Not to mention, huge lines outside stadia are not safe places...whether through pissed off fans or terrorists.

Bad all around.

 

Notice that that story says "Updated: May 8, 2006"

I wonder when the original was put online.

 

My expectation is that the first couple of days everything gets checked and chaos abounds with empty seats and upset people outside the stadium.

The third day things start to relax, the stadiums fill, and the people who are willing to pay large sums of money for a ticket are happily inside the stadium.

At least that's what I hope will happen, as I will be looking for Italy tickets on the open market!

 

They aren't announcing this now, they are stressing a policy that has been in place through the whole ticketing process. I think this is mildly amusing. The germans are known as one of the worlds most organized societies. I think this ticket thing may have a bit to do with them trying to control something that cannot be controlled. After the first riot when people cannot get into the stadium before the match starts I assume they will ammend their policy. I think it will take that before they back down from this stance.

 

Anyone get their tix on razorgator- Everytime I call them i get different answer- the latest is they are shipping the tix on June 2

 

Many people that are getting tickets from USSF are saying they don’t have names on those tickets – what to do then?

This ID business is nonsense.

 

Did anyone else notice that is seemed awfully easy to transfer tickets via USSF? They didnt even make me fill out an explanation...strange

 

Maybe you don't know any Germans!??! They stick to the rules, and I fully believe them when they say everyone will get checked. I know it seems nearly impossible, but if they are lying, no one will ever believe this BS again... I am the type who would spend way too much money to get tickets to some WC games, but I will not be doing that for a tournament in Germany. That being said, I hope I am wrong as for as those of you going with other peoples' tickets

 

FIFA warned of this all along that they would check tickets. So far, the prevailing wisdom based on previous WCs and Euro championships is that they will not check them all.

I do not subscribe to that line of thinking, at least not to the extent I would bet hundreds of bucks on a ticket that might do me no good. Here is why:

1. Germans really like rules and security. If there is any way to enforce the rule, they will do it.

2. It's an anti-scalping measure.

3. The Germans do not want to join the New York, D.C., Madrid and London club (and many others too numerous to list here). 9-11 was planned and executed by the Hamburg cell, and the Germans are well aware of that. They also remember the Israeli incident at the 1972 Munich Olympics. That's why they checked passports before issuing tickets. They will not want to risk having a terrorist attack at their WC.

 

While it is true that this was the German's policy all along, I know I specifically saw quotes from Blatter saying that FIFA disagreed with the Germans on this and that they thought it would be a poor decision to try to check names on tickets at the gates.

So it is confusing for fans.


Also, I think that inside the stadia will be very safe and heavily policed. Outside the stadia (trains to the stadia and lines outside the stadia) are going to be the most vulerable, and therefore primary terrorist targets.

And this checking names on tickets business is not helping that at all, it is hurting, a lot.

Personally, I am very interested to see what the security is like on the trains to the stadia...we all know that trains are very vulnerable to bombs. How are the Germans going to deal with this? I know for a fact that, prior to the WC, there was no security check at train stations in Germany. Will they have it in place for the WC? This is where their attention should be, not on fighting scalping. What is going to look worse for them, having a train of fans blown up, or having scalpers make a few thousand off the tickets?

 

What kind of ID are they talking about? Will a US driver's license be good enough, or do I have to carry my passport along?

 

It seems likely that a passport copy would suffice.

 

IMO, bring your passport. You might want to keep your passport and your tickets in a neck wallet or money belt. Keeping a photocopy of your passport's info page in another location (luggage, hotel room, etc.) is also a good idea.

 

I don't want to give them any excuse to turn me away. Especially if I'm 200 miles from my hotel room where I've left my passport.

 

Then are you sure that you want to wear that T-shirt?
Our first game is Match 10 in Gelsenkirchen on Monday, June 10. Match 2 will be played there on Friday, June 9 between Poland & Ecuador. There's been some talk of Polish hooligans trying to cause problems, so we will see how strict the Germans are with name checks on tickets & how any crowd problems are handled. 8 games will be played in 8 of the 12 stadiums before we play our first, so we'll see the overall approach as well.
Our second game is Match 25 in K-town on Saturday, June 17. Match 12 will be played there on Monday, June 10, between Australia & Japan, so again we will be the second game in that stadium. No one expects problems from either countries' fans, AFAIK, so we may reap the benefits of their good behavior.
Our third game is Match 42 in Nuremberg on Thursday, June 22. This will be the fourth match in that stadium, so we will definitely know the deal by then.
If things went well for us in the first two games & in Nuremberg for their first three, I hope the bag checks are more thorough than the name checks.
Personally, I can't see large lines if there's a series of checkpoints as you approach the stadium, which was the deal in France'98. IIRC, you had to show game tickets to get near the stadiums, but there were no back-ups. I also had a ticket that just said Romania FA on it for one match. There may be some similar tickets for this WC.

 

Ronaldo's Idol: if you read the Terms and Conditions and the FAQ on the FIFA ticketing site, it's been crystal clear from day one. Anyone without a legit ticket is taking a risk, and they have no excuse for not knowing the risk ahead of time.

As for your passport, they have also made it clear that this is the only valid ID (other than a national ID card, which the US does not issue). Just put it in a money belt. That's the safest place you can have it, anyway.

Those are the rules. How they are enforced is an unknown, but if they are fully enforced, you have no recourse whatsoever.

Also, why is it so hard to check everyone. When I go to a Bundesliga game I already have my bag searched and get a pat down, not to mention they look at my ticket. Looking at my passport is not exactly going to add a lot to this process.

 

I dont think they will check my passport, because I dont have one! I am a US Soldier stationed in Germany and I have tickets to several games that I will be attending. It is not a requirement for a US Soldier on official orders to have a passport, however if I leave Germany it is a requirement. I have a valid military ID Card and if thats not enough I will sue FIFA, and anyone else that takes blame for this passport policy

 

My guess is that they will treat your military ID just as they would a national ID card. I suppose if I were in your situation, I'd make an effort to find out before hand, though. Suing FIFA is fine, but it doesn't exactly help you get into the stadium.

 

I got an update email from US Soccer that many of the names on transferred tickets won't be changed as they information will be electronically "changed" on a barcode on the tickets.

I think this reinforces that they won't be changing any tickets. How could German authorities scan all the tickets and match them to ID's? And even if they did there would still be times when barcodes didn't scan or weren't updated. Do they then expect fans to just walk away and hope for better luck from their federation in 4 years time?

And there will even be times when fans honestly forget their ID's at the hotel, cars, etc. I don't think the German authorities can take tickets away if people forget their ID's. What then stops fans with scalped tickets to "forget" their ID's until they end up being let in the stadium?

 

Blowing up any group of people would not only look bad, but be bad. I can't argue with you on the train security issue. Last time I was in London, which was after Madrid, there were signs on the tube everywhere saying watch for unattended packages and suspicious people. I would expect the same in Germany as well as extra patrols on the trains.

I was thinking about Blatter last night. Shouldn't FIFA and the German government have sorted this all out in advance so that they could show a united front?

 

Though I don't know what will happen, I would not be surprised if they are planning on checking every ticket. As mentioned before, Germans are very organized and love to follow rules.

As for how to do it--I got my tickets yesterday from US Soccer and they do not have my name on them, they do however have a barcode and a note that came with them said there is a chip inside (I was told not to fold the ticket). Most stadiums here simply scan the barcode on tickets now. In Germany, they can do the same with a moniter set up which will display the name on the barcode. As you pass, you will be expected to hold up your passport, much as you do when boarding a plain.

Those who don't match will be shuttled off by someone else and the line will continue.

I don't like this idea any more than anyone else and agree that it does not punish the scalpers only the fans. However, thinking long term, say many fans who scalped tickets are denied entry. Word will spread. Come the next big tournament, I guess Euro 2008--how many will turn to scalpers? Going forward, scalpers may be shut down. I doubt they really thought this through, shortsited as they are.