Tickets for the 2011 UEFA Champions League final at Wembley will be more expensive than ever before.
Cheapest available tickets priced at £150 for Wembley showpiece
Tickets for the 2011 UEFA Champions League final at Wembley will go on sale on Thursday 24th February, but they are the most expensive in the competition's history.
It is the first time the new arena, which was finally re-opened in 2007 following seven years of rebuilding, has hosted Europe's biggest showpiece, with the 86,000-seater Stadium set to be at full capacity on May 28th.
The sale will end of March 18th, giving the general public the chance to get their hands on two tickets per person from an allocation of 11,000.
The tickets are the most they have ever been for the occasion and Uefa expect income from the Champions League final to top £14million, £3m more than last year's final in Madrid.
Applications must be done through European governing body Uefa's official website, and despite the vast costs, demand is still likely to exceed supply, and a lottery system will be introduced to decide who is successful.
Prices
Tickets available are priced at: Category 1 - £300, Category 2 - £225 (or £338 for an adult and child package), Category 3 - £150 and Wheelchair - £80, as well as a £26 booking fee.
The last European final to be held at the ground was in 1992, where Barcelona beat Sampdoria 1-0 thanks to Ronald Koeman's winner
It was to be the last year the trophy was called the European Cup before it was rebranded to the Champions League.
Uefa's director of competitions Giorgio Marchetti said the prices were comparable with other major finals and were justified.
Marchetti said at the ticket launch at London's City Hall: "The prices are based on the type of event and when you compare it to other events we don't think that the Champions League final is overpriced.
"We do not want to squeeze every single penny out of the market.
"We have to benchmark this event against other comparable events, like for example the final of the Euros and the World Cup.
"Last year there was already a significant increase compared to the previous editions but it's nothing to do with being in London and it is still priced below comparable events."
Marchetti added that president Michel Platini wanted more children to attend the game, and this was why a "youth package" had been put in place.
"That's also why we put some tickets from children at a discounted price," he added. "That's a 50% discount for the child."
Nasty question
He also responded to fierce questions about the expensive administration fee, insisting that there were "costs involved."
When asked why there was no administration fee for the women's Champions League final, that takes place at Craven Cottage two days before with tickets available for just £5, Marchetti felt that the two games could not be compared.
"That is a nasty question," he responded.
"I hope you don't think the men's final and women's final have the same target of people. We are not making a profit, we have different targets and objectives for the women's final.
"This is the market price. Do you think we would have trouble filling Wembley if the prices were higher? You think it would be different?
"We try to strike a balance between the interest of the supporters and the interest of the event. Why should we price the tickets lower than what we think is a fair level?"
