Update 1: On 20th January, UEFA amended its FAQs to say that if a “match is moved to a venue which is more than 50 km (31 miles) away from the original venue, ticket buyers would be entitled to a full refund of the ticket price if they cannot or do not wish to attend.”
Update 2: On 20th January, the ticket portal on the UEFA website issued users who had just returned their tickets with the following prompt: “If you change your mind about returning your tickets, you can cancel your return by clicking here.”
Last week, FSE and its Fans’ Embassies division were made aware that UEFA has altered the terms and conditions governing EURO 2020 ticketing.
Given the everchanging context of the pandemic, FSE welcomes UEFA’s decision to provide another opportunity for fans to return tickets and request a refund. However, many fans who have purchased tickets have raised serious concerns following these amendments, specifically in respect to potential venue changes and refunds.
In response, FSE sought urgent clarification from UEFA. To this end, representatives from FSE met with UEFA officials to discuss the concerns of national team fans and fans’ groups.
UEFA clarified that, under the amended refund policy and the current ticket returns period, refunds will be issued under the following circumstances:
- An individual returns their ticket before 26th January 2021.
- A game is to be played behind closed doors.
- The capacity of the respective stadium is reduced, and tickets have thus been invalidated by UEFA.
With regards to venue changes and refunds, the UEFA Ticket Refund Policy published in June 2019 is identical to the version published on 14th January 2021. It states:
“If UEFA notifies the Successful Applicant that the Ticket(s) is valid for the re-scheduled venue for the match then where the change of venue was made for:
(a) any reason of Force Majeure, no refunds shall be made; or
(b) any reason other than Force Majeure, the Successful Applicant shall be entitled to cancel their ticket(s) and request a refund equal to the amount of the face value of the Ticket(s) if the Successful Applicant is unable, or opts not, to attend the rearranged playing of the Match.”
To clarify, UEFA has informed FSE that:
“There has been no change to the ‘change of venue’ part of the Refund Policy as the original version already allowed for this. The ‘change of venue’ provisions specifically rely on whether UEFA say the ticket is valid for the re-scheduled venue for the match and UEFA would take into account matters such as reasonable travelling distances from the original venue when making that determination.”
It is our understanding, then, that should a game be moved from one host city to another of the current EURO 2020 host cities, all ticket buyers should be eligible for a refund.
FSE further expects that, if UEFA is forced to reschedule a game to a different date, time, or venue, ticket buyers will be offered the choice of keeping their allocated ticket or applying for a full refund.
In addition, UEFA acknowledged that the situation on the continent is constantly changing and that ticket buyers may be impacted by further travel restrictions or public health measures. FSE therefore strongly encouraged UEFA to consider the impact of such policies, including mandatory PCR tests, proof of vaccination requirements, and quarantine mandates, when managing its Ticket Refund Policy. In view of the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, it is understandable that UEFA cannot make provisions for every possible scenario. Still, FSE is confident that UEFA will find appropriate solutions for fans unable to travel due to these constraints.
FSE will continue to monitor developments and provide fans with regular updates.
If you have any questions or further observations on UEFA EURO 2020 ticketing terms and conditions, please email info@fanseurope.org.
