Dad flew family to Berlin for Euro 2024 final slams 'crazy' £40k quote for tickets

A dad who flew his family-of-four out to Berlin has blasted ticket touts after he was quoted £10,000 per ticket to attend the Euro 2024 final.

Ray Hope, from Wallsend, North Tyneside, booked a week-long stay in Berlin two months ago to coincide with the tournament final on Sunday. At the time he hoped, but couldn't be sure, that England would get there, ChronicleLive reports.

Both he and his wife Lyndsay signed up to the UEFA ballot system for the final but were unsuccessful. They have tried to secure ticket through other means, including resale sites, and say they were quoted £2,000 per category one ticket from an unofficial seller before the semi-final victory against The Netherlands on Wednesday night - which Ray agreed to pay.

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However, following that win, Ray says he was told he'd have to pay £10,000 per ticket from the same seller - making the cost an eye-watering £40,000 overall - which he wasn't willing to pay after splashing out £5,500 on flights and accommodation. The 45-year-old claims that since arriving in the German capital on Friday, they have seen tickets changed hands for upwards of £1,500 from the arrivals lounge at the airport to his hotel.

At the time of writing, ChronicleLive found that the cheapest ticket being resold on website Ticombo was £1,155 for a Category 3 ticket, with UEFA's price at €300 for the final. The more expensive Category 1 tickets start at £1,725, which UEFA sells for €1,000 for the final.

Ray, who for the first time attended every Newcastle United game both at home and away last season, says that attending the Euro 2024 final would have been "the cherry on top of a very