To Hell with Poverty

In case you are wondering, despite the delays, thanks to the up to date information available on the DB navigator app and the array of different routes and trains available I was able to arrive in Düsseldorf on time.

German trains rarely run on time

So I can't hide the fact that there are delays on almost every train, the vast German rail network and the frequency of trains have meant that the most I have been late is by one hour. Also trains run throughout the night. So was able to get from Gelsenkirchen after the Spain v Italy game to Cologne with a train at 23.49, for what should have been a one hour journey, it actually took 90 minutes. I did hear horror stories from people who were at the previous game there - England v Serbia, they got back at 3.30 am. We made it for 1.30 am. But the point is there were trains running every hour through the night.

There is still a lack of organisation as witnessed after matches in Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen where incorrect information was given regarding platforms and where trains were going to. Firstly, there are only a few volunteers to direct people , and they are not doing their job with any conviction, presumably , like us they don't know what is going on.

It has been strange to hear of all the reports of bad weather and the daily closure of fan zones for that reason. Yesterday in Berlin, for the first time I got caught in a little rain. It was a light shower, but within minutes I received a notification advising that the fan zones at the Brandenburg Gate and Reichstag would be closed. Made me wonder what the definition of bad weather was. Did just manage to avoid a heavy downpour in Leipzig, but have only been caught by the rain the once so far. Although today leaving Berlin for Hamburg the sky looks ominously grey. Same could be said about the sunshine. Hardly seen it, yesterday in Berlin felt the warmest at about 26°.

Tickets

Spent a lot of time recently helping friends get tickets for games. Since the very first ballot everything around getting tickets has been difficult. In the past I would manage to get tickets from the UEFA resale site, where supporters who couldn't attend games that they had tickets for could sell them back to UEFA who would then make them available through their website. With UEFA taking a mark up of about 10% on each transaction. This system has not been used for this tournament. As a result it has left many people who are looking for tickets to resort to resale websites where people inflate the prices, and to the hands of scammers. For this tournament there are no paper tickets. All the tickets are on your phone. The good news is that you can easily transfer the tickets by email. Which is fine when you are helping a friend, but if you are looking to sell a ticket. You are having to trust someone to complete the transaction…. leaving vulnerable people open to scams.

The pricing has also been an issue. Over the years UEFA have had a four tier Category. Cat 1 being the most expensive. This time they have added Prime seats, which cost double Cat 1 prices. So for group games you have Prime Seats at €400, Cat 1 €200, Cat 2 £150, Cat 3 €60 and Fans First for €30. On the official UEFA portal Prime Seats have been available for most games. This has had an interesting effect on the black market as it has effectively capped what they can ask for.

German football fans are never willing to be held to ransom over the price of football tickets and vote with their feet. So unlike 2006, when you would regularly hear chants of "Deutschland" in the stadium, you are more likely to hear chants of 'We'll be coming down the road' these have been heard at most matches I have been to, usually on the way out of the ground.