FA hope to avoid behind-closed-doors match

The Football Association are hopeful that the worst-case scenario of England being forced to play tomorrow night’s World Cup qualifier against Andorra behind closed doors at Wembley will not become reality.

London is set to grind to a halt this evening with tube workers beginning a 48-hour strike.

Unless talks result in the dispute being called off, the strike will have a massive impact on travel, with England’s Group Six qualifier among the worst affected.

Wembley has always encouraged fans to travel on the tube network.

Now they face using massively overcrowded overland services or their own vehicles, knowing there is woefully inadequate parking in the area.

The FA took the decision last week to halt ticket sales at 70,000 for tomorrow’s game. Now they are in discussions with Brent Council and the Metropolitan Police to find the best way to deal with the situation.

A game behind closed doors cannot be entirely ruled out, although it would be a worst-case scenario based on fears about access for emergency vehicles.

An FA statement this morning read: “The FA and Wembley are closely monitoring the situation and will convey any subsequent implications for England’s World Cup qualifier against Andorra as soon as anything is confirmed by the authorities.”