FA check stadium safety before friendly

  • 14 years ago

Football Association officials went on another visit to the stadium hosting the match between England and the Platinum Stars to ensure all safety precautions have been taken.

In the light of the problems at Sunday's friendly between Nigeria and North Korea in Johannesburg, fears about fan safety during the World Cup have been heightened.

Senior FA staff and their own security advisors met with World Cup organisers, the police and other local agencies at the England hotel on Sunday evening to discuss the problems, which left 14 spectators requiring hospital treatment.

It was decided a further site visit should be undertaken, just to confirm the correct procedures were in place.

World Cup organisers have confirmed this morning that they are not responsible for either the organisation, supporter management, or issuing of tickets for Monday afternoon's game at the 20,000-capacity Moruleng ground near Rustenburg.

However, they have spoken with the FA to ensure all relevant safety procedures have been taken. "We take safety very seriously," said an FA spokesman.

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