Arsenal vs FC Koln delayed by an hour in 'interest of crowd safety' after fan congestion around Emirates

The unusual step was taken because of severe congestion immediately outside the Emirates

The kick-off has been pushed back by 60 minutes (Getty)

Arsenal's Europa League game with FC Koln this evening has been unexpectedly delayed by an hour for safety reasons.

The unusual step was taken because of severe congestion immediately outside the Emirates which is preventing fans from entering the ground.

The decision was announced less than hour before the scheduled 8.05pm start, pushing it back to an unusual 9.05pm kick-off start.

More than 15,000 German fans have descended upon north London but only 3,000 of those have tickets in the Emirates' away end. Many of Koln's supporters have brought tickets among the home fans, which has contributed to tonight's issues.

The attempts of stewards to identify home fans from away fans has led to severe congestion and delays outside the ground, causing unprecedented security problems for stewards and police to solve.

Arsenal confirmed in a statement on Twitter that the game "had been by an hour in the interests of crowd safety".