Sweden and Ireland at odds over whether to close the roof

It could be as late as Friday before we finally get to crack the open or shut case of the Friends Arena roof in Stockholm.

If agreement can’t be reached between Ireland and Sweden regarding the retractable roof in the new 50,000-seater arena for the World Cup qualifier, it will fall to the Fifa match delegate, in consultation with the referee, to make the decision.

Currently, the Swedish FA favour keeping the roof closed but, yesterday in Malahide, Giovanni Trapattoni indicated he’d rather it was kept open. The decision will have a significant bearing on the temperature inside the stadium. Still in the grip of winter, Stockholm is predicted to hit a low of between -5 and -9 around kick-off on Friday, with some forecasts even suggesting that it could actually feel like an intensely bitter -15. By contrast, with the roof closed, the temperature would rise to a comfortable +15.