Windsor Park fit to host qualifiers - IFA

The Irish Football Association are confident Windsor Park will be a fit stadium to host Northern Ireland's World Cup 2006 qualifiers…

The Irish Football Association are confident Windsor Park will be a fit stadium to host Northern Ireland's World Cup 2006 qualifiers.

The Belfast stadium has been criticised for not being up to standard for international matches but IFA president Jim Boyce said today that improvements will be made ahead of the qualifiers.

Boyce said: "Windsor Park needs a lot of money spent on it, no doubt about that.  I have travelled extensively and there are some stadiums that make Windsor Park look like the Hilton.

"There are other stadiums in the eastern bloc which are quite magnificent. Government assistance has been gained to bring them up to international standard.

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"We either need to get a national stadium - which we have been talking about for far too long - or find the money to upgrade the stadium to international standards.  Having said that, there are no worries about playing at Windsor Park."

Northern Ireland are due to face England, Wales, Poland, Austria and Azerbaijan and the six nations will meet in Cardiff tomorrow to discuss a fixture programme.

PA