Of fans and hooligans

The England-Argentina match will not be shown on the big screen in Marengo Square at the heart of the city which was used for the five first-round games. But the authorities have organised a concert in the square on Tuesday evening to entertain the fans. Only 2,049 tickets have been made available for England fans but as in England8217;s three previous matches at least 20,000 fans will buy tickets on the black market for thegame.

Fifa at the receiving end

Sheila Spiers, vice-chairman of the English Footballers Supporters Association, accused FIFA of putting down a welcome mat for touts. quot;It8217;s ludicrous. This is a crazy allocation. It is the same kind of allocation as they were given for the first rounds originally,quot; she said. quot;It means a lot of the fans will have to get in as they did with the previous two games by paying a hell of a price for their tickets.quot;

The English Football Association had to bear part of the blame because it helped finalise the ticket arrangements three years ago, she added. Sports Minister Tony Banks also criticised England8217;s ticket allocation for Tuesday8217;s game. quot;I would have thought that certainly 10,000 each would have been appropriate,quot; Banks said.