Gardaí concerned by presence of ticketless England fans
Gardaí say they are concerned England football fans might travel without tickets for Sunday's match at the Aviva Stadium.
A massive security operation has been launched ahead of the first meeting between the Republic of Ireland and England in Dublin since the infamous Lansdowne Road riots of 1995.
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Nearly 2,000 fans have been banned from attending the game but it is feared that up to 1,500 ticket-less fans could travel to Dublin.
Some 3,000 English fans have been allocated tickets for the game
This is causing Gardaí major concern as it is understood that they fear fans could arrive at the stadium en masse without tickets.
Pubs and off-licences in the vicinity of the area have been advised by Gardaí to not open their doors until 4pm on Sunday in a bid to prevent alcohol from playing any part in potential trouble that might arise.
A Garda source last night said that every avenue would be covered to ensure that the game passes off without incident and they are confident that there would be no repeat of the 1995 game.
Gardaí and the police in England have been working closely with each other in the past few weeks to ensure that the game will pass off without incident.
It is also understood that English fans who have been banned from the game will be made surrender their passport and sign on at police stations on the day of the game to ensure they have not travelled.
Gardaí will also monitor airports and ports, to ensure that no known troublemakers enter the country.
The 1995 clash between the two sides had to be abandoned before half-time, after a section of English fans seated in the West terrace of the old Lansdowne Road began to riot.
It later emerged that the trouble had been planned for weeks by sections of English supporters.
The decision to seat English supporters over Irish fans was also questioned in the aftermath of the game.
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