FRANCE 98 – Press releaseTemplate

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The CFO agrees to put the 160,000 remaining tickets on offer to all Europeans, but refuses to exclude the public in France.

On 11 March 1998, the French Organising Committee replied in writing, within the time limited required, to the European Commission’s letter of 20 February 1998, in which the Commission asked the CFO to adapt its sales policy concerning the 160,000 remaining tickets.

During a meeting on 16 March with the European fair practices division, the latter orally requested the CFO to modify its proposal, and essentially to exclude residents in France from being able to buy the remaining World Cup tickets.

The French Organising Committee has just sent a new proposal to the European Commission (Fair Practices Division), outlining how it intends to sell the remaining 160,000 tickets.

The proposal adds further to the one previously offered to the Commission by the French Organising Committee, by endeavouring to provide more citizens of the European Economic Space with the opportunity of obtaining match tickets, without in any way compromising the safety and security measures concerning supporters which have to be respected by the organiser.

Faced with these conflicting prerogatives, the French Organising Committee proposes to reconcile them by putting the remaining 160,000 tickets on sale in the following manner:

  • 50,000 additional tickets to the foreign federations,
  • 110,000 tickets sold directly by the CFO to citizens of the European Economic Space.

In this way, the CFO provides solid proof of its wish to offer all citizens of the European Economic Space

(the 15 European Union countries plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) the opportunity to buy tickets. But the French Organising Committee refuses, however, to exclude the public in France from being able to buy these remaining tickets as was requested by the European Commission.

“That would have meant inverted discrimination, “ said Jacques Lambert, the CFO Managing Director, “by disallowing prospective ticket buyers in France —and them alone—from buying the individual match ticket of their choice. This would be seen as a gross injustice in France and go entirely against the wishes of the CFO and the French government to make the World Cup a big celebration for everybody.”

With just 80 days to go until the big kick-off, and less and less time for the organisers to manoeuvre, the CFO cannot wait much longer to set up the necessary structure to sell the remaining tickets. A structure which must be operational in less than four weeks and which is to comply entirely with the Commission’s wishes (as expressed in the latter’s letter), and with the European Parliament’s resolution voted on 12 March 1998, which includes:

  • The selling of tickets to the general public within the European Economic Space, without the obligation of having an address in France.
  • The reservation by telephone, exclusively, on a new number open to international callers.
  • The setting up of a telephone platform with 90 staff, 60 of which are to be able to take calls in foreign languages. The platform will be accessible for extensive periods of the day during the reservation period and will be open 7 days a week during the start-up phase.
  • The suppression of reservation by Minitel, to which access from abroad, via Internet, was considered as discriminatory by the European Commission, since it involves subscription charges.
  • The acceptance by the CFO of the same methods of payment as those accepted in France.
  • The application of the same general conditions of sale to all those who purchase tickets within the European Economic Space.
  • The publication for the media of a document in all the languages of the European Economic Space describing the different reservation methods which can be used, to be made available before the opening of ticket sales.
  • The distribution of information via the CFO Website and CFO Minitel on the reservation methods available, including the international telephone number as described above.

The French Organising Committee wishes to demonstrate how willing it is to widen and facilitate access to the tickets still available for the World Cup for all supporters in the European Economic Space, as far as is possible, and under optimum conditions of security. It wishes the European Commission to take full account of this constructive attitude.

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