IFA admits issue over hike for disabled fans

Hugh Gibson, a campaign card holder for the World Cup qualifying campaign, contacted the News Letter to say his disabled nephew Christopher Gibson has had to pay £35 for a ticket which had previously averaged £11 for the five home matches.

Mr Gibson, whose own seat cost rose from £27 (average price) to £37, said: “We got Christopher a seat at the back row of the East Stand which meant he was in the row behind the rest of us and easily accessible for his wheelchair.”

Mr Gibson, 40, recognised due to the Switzerland game’s importance that prices would increase but he questioned such a steep hike for his 23-year-old disabled nephew.

The Belfast man said: “My ticket has gone up from £27 to £37 – an extra tenner – but Christopher’s has gone up from £11 to £35 – that’s more than three times the amount he’d been paying.”

The IFA told the News Letter there had been an issue with disabled fans who have moved positions during the campaign being charged extra as they had moved into a more expensive ticket band.

A spokesperson for the ticket office said: “All accessibility ticket holders are being contacted on an individual basis to check their purchase as changes were made to some accounts over the course of the campaign.”

When informed by the News Letter that the IFA was aware there was an issue, Mr Gibson said: “This is news to me. I’ve contacted the ticket office on at least six occasions but I’ve not been able to find out why the price has gone up for Christopher.

“If this is the case I find it disappointing that they haven’t kept track of where disabled fans are seated. We hope to hear from them soon to get this resolved.”

Meanwhile, almost half of the Northern Ireland fans who applied for tickets to the crucial second leg of the World Cup qualifying play-off in Switzerland have missed out.

It was a headache for the IFA to determine which members of the Green and White Army merited the 1,750 tickets so far made available to NI fans for the game on November 12.

Some 42% of fans who applied for tickets missed out – with those who had gained the most points by attending away games getting top priority.

The IFA has said it will “continue to lobby the Swiss FA for more tickets”.