Newcastle V Barcelona Tickets End Up In Dundee School

The chair of nan Newcastle United Supporters' Trust says it "stings" that dozens of tickets for nan Champions League location crippled against Barcelona were bought by a schoolhouse based astir 200 miles away.

Such was nan demand, location were complete 110,000 users successful an online queue arsenic remaining seats for adjacent week's hotly anticipated opening group lucifer astatine St James' Park went connected waste connected Tuesday.

But it has emerged that 45 tickets for nan 18 September fixture had already been claimed by nan High School of Dundee, which purchased them aft being "approached by an approved provider".

This comes astatine a clip erstwhile members are "fighting each week to get a ticket", successful nan words of Lisa Mole, chair of nan supporters' trust.

"We are not saying that we don't want young fans to beryllium brought into nan stadium and to acquisition nan matches," she said. "I conscionable deliberation there's specified a statement astatine nan infinitesimal astir really bad nan ticketing business is that thing for illustration this adds substance to nan fire.

"We person members who salary a rank interest each twelvemonth who are not guaranteed a summons and we person had galore members interaction america who did not get 1 summons successful nan ballot past season.

"It's a ballot - group are not guaranteed a summons - but it does sting erstwhile they spot group who are not needfully Newcastle supporters being fixed an opportunity to spell to specified a high-profile game."

It is understood that Newcastle did not proviso immoderate tickets straight to nan schoolhouse group.

A akin number of students from nan Dundee independent schoolhouse antecedently took successful Newcastle's astir caller Champions League crippled against AC Milan successful 2023.

Regarding nan Barcelona crippled tickets, a spokesperson for nan schoolhouse said: "The High School of Dundee was approached by an approved supplier and nan tickets were bought arsenic portion of a group package."

Buying tickets from sources different than straight from a nine is not needfully a caller arena successful nan game.

David Burt, a erstwhile Newcastle player, is simply a sports income advisor astatine GB Sports Tours successful north-east England.

Burt, who has "never been successful successful nan ballot" arsenic a Newcastle fan, has seen it some ways.

"We person had schoolhouse groups from up present successful Newcastle and various areas going to Man City," he said. "Sometimes they mightiness beryllium playing Newcastle aliases different bully squad and person said, 'Can we get tickets for a game?'"

Newcastle play summons holders were capable to guarantee their summons for each of nan club's Champions League location games by joining nan cup scheme.

The remainder were past split.

The supporters' spot explained really immoderate tickets were balloted and others were placed connected wide waste to those pinch a nine rank - which costs £37 for an big and £20 for a kid - and to play summons holders who did not participate nan cup scheme.

Given nan aggravated demand, it is possibly not a astonishment that nan nine are looking into either building a caller stadium aliases expanding nan capacity astatine St James' Park.