Member

All this Bill does is give FIFA, the Olympics, UEFA and, if we accept some of the amendments from my noble friend Lady Evans, other less illustrious event organisers a state-sponsored monopoly to do what they want on tickets at the expense of the fan and the family member who is unable to go to the game. Why are the peer-to-peer sites such as StubHub or your Facebook friends to be banned instead of being encouraged to participate in a regulated market-based authentication process? Why can the Government not get their story straight about how the mechanics of ticket surrender might work? How would we prevent state-sponsored monopolies and other unintended consequences, such as charging the turnstiles? Why are we criminalising the little guy while providing statutory air cover for the organisers to repeat the World Cup ticket fiasco with empty stadiums and disappointed fans?