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Republic ask for Georgia qualifier to be moved

11/08/2008

The Republic of Ireland have requested that next month's World Cup qualifier in Georgia be moved to a neutral venue.

The match is due to take place in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on September 6th, but the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) have be moved from the war-torn region.

"The FAI has today written to Fifa, Uefa and the Georgian FA to indicate that its preferred option would be to find an alternative venue on the same date for the group eight World Cup qualifier against Georgia," a statement said.

"The FAI will keep fans informed of any decision from Fifa on this matter and will continue to work with Fifa to enable it to make a timely decision."

Tblisi lies just 60 miles from Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, the breakaway region where the trouble is centred.

Reports on Sunday suggested that Russian bombers had targeted Tblisi, dropping explosives near the civilian airport, while the Irish government has advised against all non-essential trips to Georgia.

The match in Georgia will be new Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni's first competitive match in charge.