FFA: Get Heather Kayatz (and me) a ticket now!!!

Okay it's sort of funny, but I'm not laughing...just yet.

I've always wanted to go to a big Asian World Cup Qualifier so when Australia drew Japan in Tokyo I thought I'm off.

Sucked in by prices of $130 one way on JetStar I managed to get a price of $1000 for a return trip..funny how the price always ends up a bit higher than you think.

Anyway got my flight just had to wait for my match tickets...and lobbed my name on to the Green and Gold Army forum so the FFA could see the numbers who needed tickets.

And to make it an occasion I encouraged my brother and his Japanese partner to fly in from England.

Can't wait, a great occasion.

72,000 seats in Yokahama Stadium.

And Adam Gwynne, God bless him, emailed me to say tickets were on sale at 4pm yesterday.

Now I've followed the Socceroos with interest and noticed the away end in Tashkent, Doha and Manama. 100 people maybe at most, with heaps of room.

Okay Japan is a big one, but seeing the numbers of interested fans on various fan forums this was never going to sell out.

And I'm a seasoned football traveller so you get a feel for how difficult or otherwise it would be to get a ticket.

Anyhoo...I, the idiot, forgot about the 4pm deadline I was busy getting the Canberra A-League bid moving, and at 6pm logged on to see TICKET ALLOCATION EXHAUSTED.

At first I laughed, in that nervous sort of way. My brother is going to kill me.

Then I thought I've just wasted $1,000 and the rest to go and watch Australia in Japan on the telly!

The FFA released 200 tickets for Australian fans. Yes 200.

They have held 1800 for rip-off expensive tour parties, three different groups making money out of the fans.

It's a disgrace.

Fans should come first, not corporate entities.

In this case 500 tickets would probably have been enough to release to fans then the Corporate Travel can have the rest.

I'm livid. As are many more deserving fans.

What about the fans who actually went to Bahrain....they were in the air when tickets went on sale.

This is complete madness, and completely unacceptable.

If it's true Australia only got 2,000 tickets for a 72,000 World Cup Qualifier then this too is madness and the FFA are not doing their job.

And Aussie fan "Heather" mentioned on Fox by Simon Hill the other night, she is well-known and travels to most if not all Socceroos game...even she missed out.

Football is about the grassroots, the community and the fans.

If the FFA are serious about the fans they'd better do something and quick as why the hell would you bother to get a ticket for a home game if they treat us like this for away games.

I've contacted all my media contacts, and will contact the FFA today.

I'll let you know the outcome, but it should never have come to this, given the FFA knew how many fans were travelling etc.

As for Foxtravel Sports, The Fanatics groups and other...you make my blood boil.

What football fan would ever want to travel to a game with such a group. And especially at that price!!

and I'll be bagging you on my radio show, here on the blog until you get Heather and hte rest of us a ticket!