Brit football fans snapping up cheap seats – as their foreign counterparts run scared of ISIS
Seats now costing plucky supporters the same as a pint in central Paris
BRITISH football fans are snapping up cheap Euro 2016 match tickets for just £11 as thousands of their foreign counterparts run scared of ISIS.
The news comes as football fans travelling to France were officially warned that stadiums are “potential targets” for terror attacks.
Euro fans were told to be “vigilant” and told “stadiums, fan zones and transport hubs were all potential targets for terrorist attacks”.
The alert came after it was revealed a French citizen arrested with a cache of weapons and explosives was planning “15 attacks” to coincide with the tournament.
News of the increased threat seems to have sent many foreign fans running as thousands of match tickets are still up for grabs for as little as £11.
And although you would have to pay a small fortune to watch England in action – with tickets at more than 100 times face value – other teams are clearly struggling to find followers.
The Sun Online has tracked down more than a dozen games with ticket prices less than £20 on website www.viagogo.com
They include Ukraine v N Ireland £14.94, Austria v Hungary £15.73, Romania v Albania £16.50 and cheapest of the lot Iceland v Austria at £11.40.
Tickets for the Wales v Slovakia game in Bordeaux are still available at £31.45.
There are even spaces available at 15 matches via the official UEFA website.
Seats for the opening ceremony in Paris are also available at face value – unheard of just a day before kick off.
Although the terror threat seems to be main reason for many fans steering clear of France, sky high living prices are also putting many supporters off.
Beer prices touching £9 and hotels charging TREBLE the normal rates have also take their toll.
French intelligence has said it was “deeply concerned” about a potential attack from home-grown terrorists following the slaying of 16 Real Madrid fans this months in Iraq.
That horror attack was seen as a “postcard” from ISIS to the West over its murderous intentions during the tournament.
The threat certainly hasn’t put home-grown fans off, as more than 700,000 are due to head to France over the next month.
The Foreign Office updated travel advice warns: “There is a high threat from terrorism due to ongoing threats to France by Islamist terrorist groups.
“The French government has warned the public to be especially vigilant and has reinforced its security measures.
“During Euro 2016, stadiums, fan zones, venues broadcasting the tournament and transport hubs and links represent potential targets for terrorist attacks.
“You should be vigilant at all times, especially in areas hosting Euro 2016 events, and follow the advice of local French authorities.”
A Downing Street spokeswoman said the French authorities “have got an extensive security operation in place, with 77,000 police and gendarmes, 10,000 military personnel and a similar amount of security guards”.
She added: “We are providing additional counter-terrorism and public order support to the French. That includes, for example, the deployment of additional police on trains into France and more UK Border Force outbound checks.”
Commander Dean Haydon, the head of Scotland Yard’s anti-terror squad, said matches at Euro 2016 will be played across several stadia and there are a string of fan zones for thousands of supporters.
Fan zones will also be set up in London, which will be policed “normally”.
* GERMANY football star Jerome Boateng has ordered his wife and children to stay home during the European Championships because of fears of an ISIS terror attack.
The defender said he would not be able to concentrate 100 percent on football because he would be worrying about his wife Sherin and twin girls Soley and Lamia, five, if they were in the stadiums.
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