Sports News | Soccer Fans in Greece Will Need Cell Phones to Buy Tickets in Government Crackdown on Violence
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. Soccer fans in Greece will have to use a state-run digital identification app on their cell phones to buy game tickets when a security ban on supporters expires next month.
Athens (Greece), Jan 29 (AP) Soccer fans in Greece will have to use a state-run digital identification app on their cell phones to buy game tickets when a security ban on supporters expires next month.
The measure is part of a crackdown on sports-related violence that forced soccer clubs to close stadiums to fans for two months through February 12. It was ordered after a police officer was shot with a flare during a fan riot in Athens last month and later died in the hospital from his injuries.
Greek Sports Minister Yiannis Vroutsis will present details of the new ticketing rules to a parliamentary committee later Monday. He outlined the reforms in an interview with state-run television over the weekend.
“So far, we have not been able to do something that's obvious: To identify people who are entering a stadium,” the minister said.
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“With the help of a mobile phone, a person's ID can be automatically cross-checked with a ticket. Anyone without a cell phone won't get into the stadium.”
Government officials say the new ticket system will resemble electronic boarding passes used at airports.
Other measures planned by the centre-right government include spot bans of supporters at stadiums following violent incidents, the mandatory installation of surveillance cameras at stadiums, and a national registry of soccer supporters' clubs members.
The state-run digital ID application for cell phones was launched in 2022. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)