Tickets Withheld, Michigan Fans Charge

WOODLAND HILLS —  About 300 Michigan fans who thought they had come to California to see Thursday’s Rose Bowl game against Washington State found out Tuesday they don’t actually have the tickets they paid for, police reported.

Los Angeles Police Sgt. Dan Mastro said the fans said they paid $1,400 each for round-trip airfare, hotel stay and tickets to the game. But Tuesday afternoon, the Michigan fans were told that the organizer of their tour did not actually have the tickets, Mastro said.

Executives of the Warner Center Marriott, where the group is staying, called police because they feared the angry fans would riot, Mastro said. Five officers responded, but no arrests were made.

“You never know what can happen when you have a large group of [angry] people,” said Jacque Kroft, a hotel manager. “It can turn bad.”

“They’re telling us right now that the only way we’re going to see the game is if we pay another $250,” August Dusseau of Ann Arbor said after a meeting at the hotel between the angry fans and representives of Worldwide Sports Travel Inc. of Atlanta, which booked the tours.

“I’ve already paid for the damn tickets.”

Representatives of Worldwide declined to answer reporters’ questions.

Some of the fans, who asked not to be identified, said they had been offered a chance to buy tickets for another $250, but that if they talked to reporters about the problem, the offer would be withdrawn.