Bratislava to host Irish showdown with Slovaks

THE SLOVAK Football Federation has confirmed that the Euro 2008 qualifying game between Slovakia and the Republic of Ireland on Saturday September 8 will take place in Bratislava.

There had been some speculation that the game might be moved outside the capital but the match is now set to take place in Tehelne Pole, the home ground of Slovan Bratislava and the main venue for the country’s national team.

The venue has a capacity of around 30,000 and a ticket allocation of 2,500 has been made available to the FAI for the visit of Ireland. Given the limited numbers, the Association says that it regrets that it cannot entertain ticket applications from non-FAI block-book accounts holders.

Kick off time for the crucial Group D match has yet to be confirmed.

Former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland midfielder Jason McAteer has decided to retire from football. The 35-year-old was released by Tranmere at the end of the season.