Year on year they turn up in their thousands only for the majority of them to return home early and disappointed following defeat and another broken dream.

So why do the footballing authorities continue to give priority to corporations and members of the public with no vested interest in either team?

The inevitable result is thousands of true supporters are driven to the black market, lining the pockets of those immoral enough to prey on the fans.

The touts must be laughing every time England qualify for a major tournament knowing thousands upon thousands of genuine fans will be unable to get tickets through official channels.

England consistently take more supporters than any other nation and are ritually fleeced time and again.

Tickets change hands for as much as £2000 a time when greedy touts know the desperation faced by many.

But it's not just England fans that suffer. Many nations take a large following to tournaments and the touts just love it.

When each team gets allocated just 4,500 tickets in a 40,000 capacity stadium the figures just don't add up.

In a recent match involving Mexico a whole block of seating was vacated during half time. Corporate types with little interest in the result but wishing to be seen at the right places made their early exit.

Meanwhile the true fans are locked outside watching their heroes on giant screens and paying extortionate prices for food and drink.

And it's not just football. Every summer brings the Wimbledon tennis championships to London and it's the same old story.

The toffs eat their strawberries and cream and sip expensive champagne while the real fans sit on Henman Hill willing their heroes to victory.

It's the genuine fans who fund the sports and whom the authorities should treat with a little more consideration.