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Topic: Don't travel to Turkey, FA tell fans
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rpazdzierski600
The Machine
Member # 249
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LONDON, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Football Association officials are urging England fans not to jeopardise their own safety and the team's hopes of reaching Euro 2004 by trying to attend Saturday's qualifier in Macedonia.
For October's Group Seven clash in Turkey, the FA will not be taking up its ticket allocation, while it has advised fans not to travel to the game in Skopje, fearing crowd trouble that could lead to UEFA sanctions.
'Anyone who travels against our advice and finds themselves caught up in trouble risks being banned for life by the FA from receiving England tickets,' FA marketing and communications chief Paul Barber said.
'They would be potentially putting themselves in danger, putting our possibility of competing in the European championship finals in danger and even jeopardising our chances of playing international football going forward.
'We urge people not to travel, but to stay at home and watch the game on TV...Macedonian authorities have also made it very clear that any fans who travel to the match and misbehave can expect to be dealt with in the most severe way.'
England fans are effectively on trial in both remaining away qualifiers as European soccer's ruling body UEFA has warned their team could be kicked out of Euro 2004 if there is a repeat of the crowd trouble that marred April's home win over Turkey.
Barber said the preparations for Saturday's game involved the most comprehensive planning exercise ever undertaken by the FA for an away England international.
Police spotters will be at the Skopje stadium looking for known trouble makers, while checks will also be made for black market and forged tickets.
Despite the appeals, the FA is aware that a limited number of England fans will try to get to the game, most likely via Sofia or Greek holiday resorts.
The FA have purchased all England's allocation of 2,500 tickets and is giving them to underprivileged youngsters from ethnic backgrounds across Macedonia.
Kids have initially been given vouchers that will be exchanged for tickets at the ground, once their identities have been checked, to prevent them ending up on the black market.
Barber said the FA's move to keep fans away from the game had been taken reluctantly, and that the view had been taken on board by England supporters.
'This is a difficult situation and we've taken a difficult decision,' he said. 'The majority of fans I've spoken to understand the decision. They don't necessarily agree with it or like it, but they understand it and respect it.
'Therefore I would question the motivation of those hell-bent on travelling.'
Fans who ignore the advice will be at risk partly because, since the FA are not using their ticket allocation, there will be no segregation of fans at the ground.
Macedonia has been plagued by sporadic violence since an ethnic Albanian guerrilla insurgency in 2001, some of it believed to be linked to rival criminal gangs in the impoverished Balkan country.
England are second in their group on 13 points from five games, two behind Turkey who have played a game more. One of those two teams will qualify automatically for next year's finals, while the other heads into the play-offs.
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Posts: 2171 (0.34 per day) | From: New Jersey | Registered: Sep 2001 (6370 days)
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Bronx 
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Member # 402
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Damn right too ... The one single thing that pisses me off about this country is the reputation we have abroad. A bunch of fucking mindless thugs ... Over here the games are well policed, but anywhere else its a fact that an Englishman will more than likely die. And its usually a byestander as the thugs (usually BNP of NF) dont wear the team colours ...
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Posts: 9347 (1.49 per day) | From: Gloucestershire, England | Registered: Feb 2002 (6240 days)
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XXXman
gigidy gigidy gigidy
Member # 418
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why the need to post long winded copy and paste shit! all british people know what happens to english fans who travvel to turkey to watch football! they get stabbed! only some live and some die!
Posts: 2055 (0.33 per day) | From: londinium | Registered: Mar 2002 (6211 days)
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noble stabbings
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Member # 874
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football abroad to me is going to Leicster
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Proud people breed sad sorrows for themselves
What's the most interesting thing you've seen in the last six months?
Garth: Obviously, Darkplace. It has rendered all subsequent and previous television redundant.
my arms are strong: don't my name suggest it?
i strangled katja and i nearly got arrested!
i would have been safe, bro, it's plain for you to see
my daddy is a diplomat; he's got immunity
and i will kill you bro if you don't meet me or don't listen
coz i've got 500 milligrams of prozac in my system!
i'm down with the triads coz i speak japanese
but only when i'm sleepin' they'll do whatever i please
and i wake up in the cupboard about once or twice a week
AND I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU IF YOU'RE CALLIN' ME A FREAK!!
Posts: 738 (0.12 per day) | From: Vancouver | Registered: Jun 2003 (5758 days)
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XXXman
gigidy gigidy gigidy
Member # 418
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yeh but those people dot really go to football, i thought there'd be more when i went to see bradford but there werent!
Posts: 2055 (0.33 per day) | From: londinium | Registered: Mar 2002 (6211 days)
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2-D..
Does this rag smell like chloroform to you?
Member # 112
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I've been telling people not ot go to Turkey since July...
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Posts: 6460 (0.99 per day) | From: Hadleys Hope | Registered: Jun 2001 (6478 days)
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