• Club receives 10,000 fewer tickets than for semi-final
• FA is driving fans towards touts, says chief executive
Everton’s chief executive, Robert Elstone, has said the Football Association is driving supporters into the hands of touts with its “hopelessly inadequate” allocation of 25,109 tickets for the FA Cup Final against Chelsea.
Everton have received 10,000 fewer tickets for the final than for the semi-final against Manchester United at the 90,000-seater stadium, with 17,000 seats reserved for Club Wembley members and the FA committed to giving 23,000 tickets to “the football family”. The FA has recently launched the “Out The Touts” campaign to combat inflated ticket prices and illegal ticket sales but Elstone says touts are being encouraged by the arrangements for the final.
“The allocation to both Everton and Chelsea is not only too small – it is, sadly, hopelessly inadequate and will, we believe, serve to drive ticketless supporters towards the touts,” he said. “As a direct consequence of the Football Association’s decision to award us just 25,000 tickets for the ultimate in prestige games we are faced with trying to squeeze not a quart but a gallon into a pint-pot.
“I would estimate that two out of every three Evertonians who would dearly love to be at this game will not, in fact, be at Wembley. To suggest that demand will outstrip supply is to understate things. I believe we could sell in excess of 70,000 tickets for this game.”
Everton are unable to guarantee every season ticket holder a ticket for the 30 May showpiece and Elstone believes that could have lasting repercussions for the club. He added: “Everyone at this club has worked tirelessly to grow our season-ticket base. We now know a number of those season- ticket holders will not receive a ticket for our biggest game in 14 years and that is damaging to the work being carried out.”