Chelsea fans told not to travel in wake of blasts
The Foreign Office have advised against travel to the city after two bombs killed at least 27 people and 450 were injured.
The blasts followed a pair of synagogue bombings on Saturday which killed 23 people, plus the two suicide bombers.
A statement from Chelsea said the club believed “it would not be appropriate for its fans to travel to the match”.
Earlier UEFA postponed two matches scheduled to be played in Turkey next week. The Champions League Group D match between Galatasaray and Juventus, which was due to be played next Tuesday at the Ataturk Olimpiyat stadium in Istanbul, has been put back a week to December 2.
The UEFA Cup second round second-leg tie between Israel’s Maccabi Haifa and Valencia, which was going to be played next Thursday at the Alsancak Stadium in Izmir, has also been postponed although a new date and venue have yet to be fixed.
The game was due to be played in Turkey as a result of UEFA’s ban on teams from Israel playing European competition matches at home.
Meanwhile, the Baltic state of Latvia held morning after celebrations yesterday for their national soccer team whose 2-2 draw against Turkey in Istanbul secured the country’s first appearance in the European Championships final next year.
Television stations in the chilly nation of 2.3 million inhabitants continued to replay the match, while some 500 fans, cheering “Win, Latvia, Latvia” stayed up to greet the returning team at dawn.
The success drew glowing tributes from the country’s leaders, with president Vaira Vike-Freiberga hailing the “golden boys” and promising a reception in their honour.
Latvian Soccer Federation president Guntis Indiksons said that the win would help put the country on the map, 13 years after restoring independence from the Soviet Union.
Ryan Giggs has pleaded with Mark Hughes to stay on as manager of Wales as he plans for another crack at reaching a major championship.
The Manchester United winger hit a post as Wales were beaten 1-0 by Russia in their Euro 2004 qualifying play-off in the Millennium Stadium.
Giggs won his 46th cap in Cardiff, and played in every one of the 10 gruelling qualifiers that took Hughes’ team to the brink of the finals.
Now Giggs, 30 later this month, is determined to have another stab at reaching a major finals when the World Cup qualifiers start in 10 months time.
He said: “You have disappointments and the only way to get over them for me personally is to get to a major championships.
“That is definitely the next step. It is a challenge that I want and I think most of the lads do as well.”
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