Ireland's Georgia game moved

Neutral venue to stage Trapattoni's first competitive match

Last updated: 19th August 2008   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Ireland's Georgia game moved

Trapattoni: Neutral venue for Georgia game

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Republic of Ireland's World Cup qualifier with Georgia next month will take place at a neutral venue.

Giovanni Trapattoni was due to take charge of his first competitive match as Ireland coach in Georgia on 6th September.

However, following the recent trouble in the former Soviet Republic, Fifa has confirmed the fixture will be moved from the Georgian capital Tbilisi.

The game with Georgia forms part of an opening qualifying double-header for Ireland, who also have an away tie with Montenegro on Wednesday 10th September.

Fifa has given Georgia until 26th August to nominate a neutral venue for the match, which has been moved due to security concerns.

A statement released by Fifa read: "Fufa today decided that the 2010 Fifa World Cup preliminary competition match between Georgia and the Republic of Ireland, scheduled for September 6 2008, will take place at a neutral venue due to recent events in Georgia, which have affected security in the entire country.

"Fifa reached this decision after closely monitoring the situation in Georgia and taking note that Uefa also decided to ask Georgian clubs involved in Uefa competitions to play their matches in neutral countries.

"The Georgian Football Federation has until August 26 2008 to nominate a neutral venue to host the qualifying match against the Republic of Ireland, which will take place on the scheduled date of September 6 2008. The Georgian Football Federation will serve as the host association for this match."

Trapattoni will be looking to finalise his preparations for those two games on Wednesday when Ireland meet Norway in a friendly.

Georgia, meanwhile, will tackle John Toshack's Wales at the Liberty Stadium on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports 2.