English Fans 'A Credit To Their Country' In Brazil

Last updated : 13 July 2014 By Footy Mad - Editor

Britain's ambassador to Brazil has revealed that 22 British nationals were arrested during the course of the World Cup - and almost all for ticket touting.

Brazil prison

The arrest figures include Ray Whelan, the English director of FIFA's ticket and hospitality partners MATCH who was declared "a fugitive" by Brazilian police after he disappeared from his hotel minutes before officers attempted to re-arrest him as part of an investigation into illegal ticket sales.

Alex Ellis, the British ambassador: "The England fans in Brazil have been great. We had some big information campaigns before the World Cup and it seems to have paid off.

"We have had a total of 20,000 fans coming from England at various times and we have only had 22 arrests, and the vast majority of those were for ticket touting."