Tickets touts prey on supporters' love of the game, and charge massively inflated prices

Sgt Andy Brame, Metropolitan Police

So far they have recovered about 200 tickets, worth up to an estimated �200,000 to the touts, and made nine arrests.

Tickets for Saturday's FA Cup final between Arsenal and Chelsea in Cardiff are being sold for up to �600 each, say police.

Sergeant Andy Brame of the Football Intelligence Unit said it was a criminal offence for unauthorised individuals or companies to sell, expose or even advertise tickets for regulated matches like Premiership or FA Cup games.

Crowd control threat

He stressed that illegal touts cost football fans millions of pounds a year.

He said: "Ticket touts prey on supporters' love of the game, and charge massively inflated prices for games.

"All too often the supporter finds that the ticket they have bought is not genuine, is never sent, or that they end up in the wrong end of the ground which can lead to disorder.

"We will not tolerate the unscrupulous activity of the touts and we are urging people, however desperate they may be to watch a game, not to buy tickets from the touts."

Sgt Brame blamed touts for "playing havoc" with stadium segregation and crowd control by selling tickets to hooligans and fans banned from matches.

He said: "Many shops and kiosks blatantly advertise World Cup, FA and Premier League tickets.

"We will ask officers to serve these with warning letters.

"If they continue to sell tickets, they will be arrested."