UEFA CANCELS FIRST LEG OF GEORGIA TEAM’S MATCH

PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung)
2008-08-12 21:26:04 –
Austria

NYON, Switzerland (AP) – UEFA canceled the first leg of a football
match Thursday between Georgian club WIT and Austria Vienna because
of fears for the players’ safety.

The UEFA Cup qualifying match, which was supposed to be contested
over two legs, will now be decided in a single game in Vienna on
August 28. The winner qualifies for the competition’s first round.

"(WIT is) not in a position to organize a safe and secure venue in
Georgia, nor to play at an alternative venue," European football’s
governing body said Tuesday in a statement.

The decision ends two days of international football diplomacy to
find a way for WIT to fulfill its obligations amid hostilities between
Georgia and Russia. The club, based in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi,
had hoped to maintain one match close by so that it wouldn’t completely
forfeit its home advantage.

But it failed to find agreement with football authorities to stage
the match in neighboring Armenia or Azerbaijan, its preferred options.

The club opted early Tuesday to play in Turkey, in the Black Sea port
city of Rize _ 60 miles (97 kilometers) from the Georgia border.

But that plan fell through within hours, UEFA said, adding it accepted
the request but was "subsequently informed by the Georgian Football
Federation _ also speaking on behalf of WIT _ that the squad could
not travel due to security concerns.

WIT’s Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in the capital city was judged on Monday
as too dangerous for the game.

UEFA did not say how it would deal with a draw, which normally is
decided by the away-goal tiebreaker.

"UEFA will contact the clubs and national associations concerned in
due time to communicate the rules applicable to this single match,"
it said.

WIT is the last club from Georgia remaining in UEFA-organized
competitions this season. Champion Dinamo Tbilisi was knocked out of
the Champions League last week by Greek side Panathinaikos.

Dinamo’s German coach Rainer Zobel and six foreign players left
Georgia earlier this week to seek safety in Germany.