Night match in Dublin for Irish

Ireland's meeting with Turkey in Dublin on November 13th will kick off at seven o'clock in the evening the FAI announced yesterday. There remains some doubt, however, as to what time the return leg of the European Championship play-off game the following Wednesday will start or indeed whether it will be played in Istanbul or Bursa.

The Turkish embassy in Dublin, meanwhile, yesterday issued a statement criticising what it described as the "sensational" reports in national newspapers of violence at football matches in Turkey. "It is true," the statement read "that Turkish football fans can be passionate, noisy and sometimes unruly (but) the days of hooliganism and violence are now a thing of the past."

The embassy insisted that the problems associated with football in Turkey were never any worse than in many other European countries and that, in line with the likes of England and the Netherlands, policing methods had now improved to the extent that there have been no incidents of note during the last six years. During that time, the embassy claimed, the local authorities have "have perfected their crowd control skills".

The statement concluded by stating that the Irish will be treated as "honoured guests" and it is guaranteed "that they will leave Turkey contented and happy, just as the 40,000 plus Irish tourists who visit Turkey every year do".

Galway United manager Don O'Riordan has meanwhile been threatened with disciplinary action by the FAI over remarks made in a national newspaper regarding the standard of refereeing and attitude of the league's disciplinary commission.

O'Riordan was expressing his frustration at the way comments by United player Billy Clery to referee Hugh Byrne were handled by the official. Byrne reported the player to the league and Clery was this week handed a three match suspension.

The manager may now face disciplinary action himself under the terms of a new rule brought in over the summer that was intended to keep these sort of critical comments out of the public arena.