When the Football Association announced on Friday 13 June 2003 that they would NOT be taking up their allocation of tickets for the forthcoming Euro 2004 qualifier against Macedonia in Skopje, a number of people suggested that as an independent site we should issue a statement. Below is a copy of that statement issued to Radio 5 Live.
 

STATEMENT
 

Refusal of Tickets by F.A. of ticket allocation for Macedonia

We are disappointed to learn of the FA’s decision and would be surprised if this were unanimous. The purpose of the englandfans club was to replace the England Members Club that included racists, hooligans and a proportion of other undesirables.

However, to read after the Liechtenstein and Turkey games that "the minority of people that cause us problems has now become too large a minority" (Paul Barber) is in our submission a clear failing on the part of the Football Association to have satisfactorily vetted members.

It is not something that should not be attributed to the majority of England fans, where little if any evidence has been produced that those troublemakers are members of the englandfans supporters club.

The trouble that occurred in Zurich, cannot be attributed to englandfans members as is the case with weekly disturbances and damage to hotels by British holidaymakers in the holiday resorts of Aya Napa, Cyprus, Ibiza and the Greek Islands which receive little if any press coverage.

With World Cup 2002 passing off peacefully a small amount of trouble in Slovakia, the disturbances in Zurich were well away from Liechtenstein where both the official 942 ticket holders along with another 500 in the home stand with tickets purchased on the black market were praised. Given their greater number of Caps, these would make up at least 70% of the fans travelling to Macedonia.

Whilst accepting the decision for the Turkey game, little will be achieved by the decision to refuse tickets for Macedonia with the game less than 12 weeks away. Given its location and limited air access our understanding is that 200-300 supporters have already made their own travel arrangements as flight prices began to rise. These supporters in the absence of a refund from the airlines will still travel.

A number of englandfans members have been praised for various initiatives which have proved successful yet these cannot be expanded or further tried and tested when ticket allocations are turned down.

Refusing tickets for Macedonia, Turkey, and possibly Portugal (February 2004, a friendly designed to test security for Euro 2004) along with a potential friendly in Sweden a month later, will, should England qualify, not lessen the likelihood of trouble at Euro 2004 unless legislation or other measures are put in place to either prevent ticketless fans from leaving the UK or entering Portugal.

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