Liverpool fans to face security clampdown
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Your support makes all the difference.Liverpool's visit to Istanbul for the European Cup final against Milan on 25 May will involve the biggest-ever security operation mounted by Uefa in 49 years of European club competition, it was revealed yesterday.
Liverpool's visit to Istanbul for the European Cup final against Milan on 25 May will involve the biggest-ever security operation mounted by Uefa in 49 years of European club competition, it was revealed yesterday.
With more supporters than the club's 20,000 ticket allocation can accommodate expected to travel to the Turkish capital, and the memory of the two Leeds supporters killed in Istanbul in April 2000 still fresh, plans are in place to keep rival fans isolated from each other.
While the game's European governing body accepts there is no history of animosity between Liverpool and Milan fans they have decided to take no chances in managing the movement of supporters in the city. The majority, who are expected to arrive on the day of the match, will fly into different Istanbul airports - one on the European side of the Bosphorus, the other on the Asian side - and be kept apart.
A Uefa spokesman, William Gaillard, said the event would be the "most important, complex operation we [Uefa] have ever staged [for club football]" but defended the capability of Istanbul to host the final. There are understood to be misgivings within the Liverpool club hierarchy about the advisability of holding the final in a city that has a history of football violence.
In order to allay fears about the possibility of clashes between supporters and locals, like those five years ago which resulted in the deaths of two Leeds fans before a Uefa Cup match against Galatasaray, Uefa has set up completely separate facilities for supporters.
Fans will be taken directly from the airport to sites outside the city centre where those with tickets will be provided with buses to take them on to the stadium.
Gaillard added: "Precautions are in hand in light of the incident in 2000 with the Leeds supporters. Therefore we have taken extra measures from the beginning on the assumption that there could be an English team in the final. We have set up a whole system to take care of the supporters when they arrive. There will be two separate airports for fans of both teams. The supporters will be taken to separate areas that will have food, drinks and entertainment.
"The advantage is that the stadium is not in the downtown area. There will be no public transportation from these areas and there will be buses to the stadium provided, but only if you have a ticket.
"There will be minimum contact with the Turkish crowd and minimum contact between the two sets of supporters."
The security arrangements at the new 70,000-capacity Ataturk Olympic stadium, which has had its capacity reduced for the match, are expected to be tested later this month when it hosts the city's two big rivals, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, in the Turkish cup final.
With relations between the two sides currently poor even by their standards, the nation's football federation have urged the two sets of supporters to behave with the final less than three weeks away.
Dr Levent Bicakci, the president of the Turkish football federation, said: "I call for all fans and all newspapers and television stations to show calm about the championship race between Fenerbahce and Galatasaray as we know that we will be the host of the Champions' League final on 25 May.
"So all of Turkey needs to be very careful and responsible in the weeks leading up to the final because we know that all of Europe and all of Uefa will be watching us.
"We will make sure we have enough security measures in place [for the Turkish Cup final] because we do not want there to be any bad events."
While both clubs receive allocations of 20,000 tickets each, 7,500 tickets will go on sale in Turkey through the country's football federation. Liverpool have 23,000 season ticket holders at Anfield alone.
The Football Association will make its announcement today on the decision over which team qualifies for England's fourth Champions' League place after the governing body's main board took advice from the Professional Game Board.
The FA is almost certain to find in favour of the fourth-placed Premiership side - currently Everton - taking the spot even if Liverpool win the final.
After his side narrowly defeated PSV Eindhoven on away goals, the Milan coach, Carlo Ancelotti, has added his voice to those who have criticised Liverpool's defensive approach under Rafael Benitez.
He said: "We saw the semi-final on Tuesday. Liverpool did not play much football. They were quite defensive, but it certainly will not be easy for us in Istanbul.
"PSV is a team that wants to play with the ball and they also give you space and let you play when you are in possession. Liverpool don't do that, but it will still be very hard to beat them."
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