Police are investigating ticket touting firms which, the Football Association claims, are illegally charging England football fans up to £750 a match to follow the teams bid for glory at this summers World Cup. The FA has alerted the police to 12 unofficial ticket websites seeking to cash in on the huge demand to see Sven-Goran Erikssons side in action in Germany.

Around 100,000 England fans are expected to travel in June to watch the games in Group B against Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, and Sweden. But it is thought that only 30,000 of them will have secured tickets.

The FA has been scrutinising internet-based ticket companies and identified a dozen which, it says, may be breaking the law by offering to supply tickets at many times over the face value. They have asked the police and Fifa, footballs global governing body, to investigate and see what can be done to stop them.

Andrin Cooper, an FA spokesman, said: Our customer services and security departments have been monitoring the internet for unauthorised websites selling what purport to be World Cup tickets for Englands matches. We have passed details of about a dozen websites to Fifa and the police.

We condemn this illegal exploitation and will do everything we can to combat it. It is important to protect fans against unscrupulous operators. Sadly, there are a number of people who always seek to exploit the incredible loyalty and dedication of English football fans.

The FA declined to name any of the online firms involved. Websites offering to sell tickets at the moment include the Online Ticket Shop, which is based in the United States but has an outlet in Britain. It is charging between £495 and £750 per seat for Englands three games, even though the original prices were only £24-£68. More>>>

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