Soccer-UEFA clamps down on black market sales for Athens final

NYON, Switzerland, May 8 (Reuters) UEFA, European soccer's governing body UEFA says it has cancelled a number of tickets for this month's Champions League final between Liverpool and AC Milan in response to illegal sales carried out in Britain.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, UEFA said its action was based on a law that came into effect in England and Wales on April 6 which makes it a criminal offence "for an unauthorised person to sell a ticket for a designated football match."

The legislation also covers future Champions League fixtures, as well as UEFA Cup matches and European Championship games.

UEFA said it had also sent "warning letters" to several companies ordering them to stop sales of UEFA Cup and Champions League final tickets.

"Illicit sale of tickets undermines the safety and segregation of fans, potentially causing significant public order and safety issues," the statement added.

There were no details as to how many tickets had been cancelled, or from whom they had been bought.

The Champions League final is due to be staged on May 23 in Athens.