UEFA Cup: UEFA under pressure to switch venue

A bomb explosion in the region of Makhachkala where Rangers are due to play a UEFA Cup tie next week has prompted the British Foreign Office to increase pressure on Europe’s soccer chiefs to sanction a switch of venue.

Up until yesterday, UEFA were not prepared to agree to the switch but the explosion yesterday in the area Rangers are due to travel to has forced the British Foreign Office to advise people to stay away.

Chechen rebels are believed to be behind the attack as a show of strength against the Russian authorities. The rebels also killed five Russian soldiers in an attack in southern Chechnya.

An Ibrox delegation of secretary Campbell Ogilvie and safety officer Laurence McIntyre were in Moscow on their way to the crisis-torn area when the bomb went off on a deserted railway line.

‘‘We have said all along that we hoped UEFA would switch the venue - we don’t want people to travel to the area,’’ said a spokesman.

‘‘If you do travel to the area and get into trouble there is only a limited amount that we can do.

‘‘Part of our consular responsibilities is to visit people in prison. But that is a very dangerous part of the world and that would make it very difficult.

‘‘There is a chance that UEFA are still considering changing this, and we hope that is the case.

‘‘Our advice remains exactly the same. That advice has been passed on to UEFA via Rangers.

‘‘UEFA had to make a judgment, and we are not sure that whether - in the light of this bombing - they will be looking at that and maybe change their views.

‘‘But our advice is exactly as it was before - that people do not travel to that region, and that includes people going to football matches. Apart from that, there is not a lot we can add.’’

UEFA have already stressed they will have no hesitation in switching the game to a neutral venue if the situation deteriorates in the region.

But director of communications Mike Lee insists any further decision on the staging of the tie will be offered once all the relevant reports on the latest bombing are received.

‘‘UEFA is aware of today’s reports concerning the security situation in Makhachkala,’’ said UEFA director of communications Lee.

‘‘We are currently in the process of getting further information about these events and will assess the implications once we have a complete picture from the authorities concerned.’’

But, while the authorities are concerned about events off the field, Rangers manager Dick Advocaat admits he has been unable to find out any information on Makhachkala after scout Ewan Chester was denied a visa by Russian authorities to watch the team in action at the weekend.

‘‘It is always important that you know things about your opponents,’’ Advocaat told the Rangers website.

‘‘I need to know things like their style of play and what they do at set-pieces. I must admit that I have never known as little about an opposing team before a match - but I’ve not stopped trying and am confident I’ll know more by kick-off.

‘‘It says enough that we were not allowed to watch them in action last week. We couldn’t get a visa sorted out, but I’m still trying to get information through my contacts in Russia.

‘‘It’s easier for them to get information about us than it is for us to get details on them. But Campbell Ogilvie is over there, so I might put a call into him and I hope he can obtain a video of one of their games.’’