EURO 2008 INFO

With 100 days of the opening match, the organizers of the Euro are concerned about the proliferation of tickets sales on the black market.

Martin Kallen, chief operating officer for Euro 2008, warned on Thursday that buyers should not believe the agencies that promise to have real tickets for the matches in Switzerland and Austria.

"We are opposed to all these agencies on the market that are cheating the fans," Kallen said at a press conference at the start of the countdown for the party's June 7.

"I would say that not to do so. Never buy their lockers because never be sure of getting them," he added.

The organizers have received more than 11 million requests from around the world for the 700,000 tickets available to the public for the 31 parties that will be played from 7 to June 29.

When the last batch of lockers was released this month among the 16 national associations of participating countries, Germany received more than 1.5 million applications for 14,000 tickets. Switzerland had 16,800 tickets available and received 50 times more applications.

"We can not avoid the black market. Demand is so great that we could have stadiums twice or three times as big and still not have enough tickets," said Kallen.

In an attempt to combat counterfeiting and resale of tickets, organizers will wait until May to distribute the lockers and prohibit the resale near the stadiums.

Kallen said that preparations for the tournament, which begins in Basel and ends with the final in Vienna, marching wind in its sails and without security problems.

The parties of Germany against Poland in Austria and Croatia are of greatest concern to the authorities.

An agency for the sale of Internet ticketing by calling 1,500 dollars for a ticket for the match between Germany and Poland, and 1,285 for a seat for the duel between Holland and France in Bern.