I found an England fan in Frankfurt yesterday - who has a match ticket for today's opener against Paraguay. And he had one for his nine-year-old son too. But Ian Carswell, 40, of Runcorn, in Cheshire, was very much the exception among the advance guard of noisy but good-natured supporters who have tipped up in Birmingham's twin city. Most have come to soak up the atmosphere and to view the game on two giant TV screens, which are being floated on the River Main. They were opened by Frankfurt's mayor Petra Roth on Thursday afternoon, who said there was room for 50,000 seated spectators at the viewing arena.
The match, however, is likely to become a touts' bonanza, as forecast by the Football Supporters' Federation, who complained that 1 million of the 3 million tickets for the tournament have gone to sponsors and corporate hospitality. It is hard to disagree with their verdict that it is a scandal - and many supporters may want to sign a global petition calling for a Fifa rethink at www.footballsupportersinternational.com.
British police sources told me that German ticket touts have been trying to buy England match tickets from German residents at ticket collection points for 1,400 euros (£960), and it is likely they would try to sell them on for a substantial profit to England fans - perhaps for as much as 2,000 euros (£1,372). One fan in Frankfurt said a tout was asking 1,500 euros (£1,029) for a single ticket. Official prices for the game range from 35 to 100 euros (£24 to £68).
Even if fans have deep pockets, they are running a big risk - although less of one than the German authorities would have had us believe. Vernon Coaker, the genial Tottenham Hotspur-supporting Home Office minister, who praised England fans for creating an electric atmosphere in Frankfurt, said buying from touts was a risk not worth taking - and those without tickets should watch on the big screens. The Germans say entry will be barred to those whose passport does not match the name on the ticket. But Achim Thiel, Frankfurt's chief of police, admitted that only about 10% of tickets would be checked, not the 100% originally stated. Even if you do have a ticket, you will need to get to the stadium earlier. There will be a full body search at an outer perimeter, followed by a final scan of the ticket at the stadium entrance. The official advice is to get there two hours before kickoff - and the reassurance is that the bars inside the ground will be open to entice spectators in as early as possible.
