Sven-Goran Eriksson has delivered a stark warning to England fans that they could risk their lives by travelling to Turkey for next month's make-or-break Euro 2004 qualifier.
The English Football Association have rejected their ticket allocation following the history of ugly scenes surrounding games between the two countries, including the killing of two Leeds fans in Istanbul three years ago.
However, about 250 England fans bought black market tickets for last night's game in Macedonia, when their unofficial presence was applauded by the England players, led by captain David Beckham.
The FA are set to remind the England players not to repeat such actions in Turkey next month, but their prime concern is to stop fans travelling there in the first place.
They are therefore seeking an urgent clarification from the Turkish football federation after weekend reports claimed that they are prepared to sell tickets direct to thousands of England fans.
"Of course, I should like to see fans at games, but, if it's a security problem, then it's better not to (travel) because you can risk to be injured and can even risk your life, which happened when Leeds were in Turkey," Eriksson said. "If the security men say it's a problem, then you should listen to them."
Haluk Ulusoy, the president of the Turkish federation, was nevertheless quoted as effectively inviting England fans to travel to Istanbul for the match.
He reportedly said: "Even if the English FA are not going to sell tickets and not going to bring fans over to Istanbul, we will do it for them.
"If there are fans who want to watch this game, they can come and get tickets from us. We will sell as many tickets to them as they want - 1,000, 2,000 or even 3,000."
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