World Cup 2014: Police investigate fans with wheelchairs pictured standing up during matches

A group of supporters who appeared to jump out of their wheelchairs at Fifa World Cup 2014 games in Brazil are being investigated by police for ticket fraud

A group of supporters who appeared to jump out of their wheelchairs while watching matches at the World Cup are being investigated for possible ticket fraud.

Police are looking into pictures from CCTV and social media which show supposedly wheelchair-bound Brazil fans standing during the opening game of the tournament in Sao Paulo, between the hosts and Croatia.

Police believe some fans who bought tickets on the black market may have tried to cover their tracks by using wheelchairs to enter the stadium.

Many of the concession tickets designated for disabled fans have fallen into the hands of touts amid the scramble for tickets for some of the most popular games.

There have also been cases of young adults being seen in seats reserved for pensioners.

Touts have been selling tickets for disabled people outside stadiums and on social media websites such as Facebook. The scam is particularly profitable as each ticket for a wheelchair user comes with a free one for a companion.

Selling a ticket for more than face value is a crime in Brazil, for which the maximum sentence is four years in prison. But tickets for Brazil matches have been on sale for around £1,000, as much as 10 times face value. One Rio tout was caught selling two tickets for this week’s Spain v Chile match in the city for 1,200 Brazilian reals (£350).

There are 22 pictures on CCTV which allegedly show supposedly wheelchair-bound fans standing up at the 66,000-seat Sao Paulo Arena, where England played on Thursday night.

Around 30 similar pictures have been taken by members of the public on their smart phones.

“The World Cup is creating miracles,” joked Brazil supporter Andrea Dias.

However, the investigation is likely to be tricky and sensitive for police because some of the fans may be disabled and

unable to walk long distances, but can still stand for short periods.

The Telegraph