Euro 2000 tickets go on sale

Euro 2000 tickets went on sale this morning with the second batch to be issued in December.

Fans wanting to purchase tickets will need to apply for entry to the lottery by May 7th. No applications will be considered for the first batch of 34% of the ticket allocation for the finals in Holland and Belgium in June of 2000 if they arrive after that date.

There are no restrictions or quotas for particular countries - in theory every nation's fans will have the same chance of getting a ticket - including those in the US and Asia. There are no nationality restrictions on entering the lottery for tickets. Qualifying nations will receive their quotas for fans after they have qualified and this intitial batch is not intended for those fans alone - anyone can apply.

A maximum of two tickets per person are available and some personal details are required but the system has been massively simplified since the outrage sparked by the ticket arrangements for the World Cup in France next summer.

Applications by letter can be made to any UEFA country's national federation, the Euro 2000 organisation itself or on the internet at www.Euro2000.org.

The cheapest tickets are priced at around £20 with the most expensive seats pitched in the region £200. They can also be paid for in ECUs.

Fans applying early for the first batch of tickets will be granted favourable status and are twice as likely to get tickets for a game than those applying later. Only the two host nations are known as finallists so far and fans 'buying blind' need an incentive. Every ticket will again be named to the individual who is successful in May's lottery. The December sale is also likely to be by the lottery method as another 36% of the ticket allocation goes on the market.