UEFA officials were still insisting yesterday that next Saturday's programme in Group Eight of the European Championships will go ahead as scheduled, in spite of growing tension in the Balkans. The Republic of Ireland's game against Macedonia at Skopje and, more surprisingly, Yugoslavia's meeting with Croatia at Belgrade on the same day will go ahead as scheduled according to the European governing body.
"We have taken soundings in both cities and the advice is that both games should go ahead as arranged," said a UEFA spokesperson. "We are, of course, monitoring the situation and if it deteriorates we may have to reconsider. At this point, however, the games are still on."
The threat of NATO air strikes on Belgrade and the possibility of retaliatory Serb action on Skopje, nerve centre of the NATO operation, had come more clearly into focus after the collapse of the Kosovo peace talks in Paris. The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), quickly ordered its 1,400 observers out of Kosovo. American, British and German nationals have also been advised to leave the region.
Skopje is just half an hour's drive from the Kosovo border and is considered to be within range of Serbian artillery. Fewer than 200 Irish fans are expected to travel to Saturday's game.
Ray Treacy Ltd, the FAI's official tour operator, had tentative plans to organise a second flight to the Macedonian capital but these have now been shelved because all available hotel beds in the city have been booked for NATO personnel.
"We have been told that because of the overcrowding, people are sleeping in the corridors of the hotel we are scheduled to stay in," said an FAI official. "We have now sent a fax to the Macedonian Federation asking them to confirm the original accommodation arrangements for our players and officials."
Yugoslavia's game against Croatia is thought to be a potential flashpoint because of earlier hostilities between the Serbs and Croats. Last month the Yugoslav Football Federation decreed that only 150 Croatian supporters will be allowed into the Red Star Stadium and even this concession may now be withdrawn.
Meanwhile, Lee Carsley yesterday became the second Republic of Ireland player to change clubs this week, when he agreed to join Blackburn United from Derby County in a £3.3 million deal. Keith O'Neill, who signed for Middlesbrough on Wednesday, is in Bryan Robson's squad for today's visit to Nottingham Forest.
Aidan Lynch (UCD) will replace Cork City's injured central defender Derek Coughlan in the Republic of Ireland under-21 squad for next Friday's game against Macedonia at Skopje. Two other changes bring in Stephen Grant (Stockport) and Gary Doherty (Luton) for Richard Dunne (Everton) and Niall Inman (Peterboro) respectively.
Brian Kerr has named Swansea's Ryan Casey as the 18th member of his squad for next month's Under-20 World Cup in Nigeria. Casey, who has scored twice in 15 appearances for his club this season was a member of last summer's European Championship-winning panel.
Kerr has now named all of the players that he hopes to take to Africa, although he conceded yesterday that it unlikely that all of them will make the trip. Richard Dunne (hamstring), Alan Quinn (foot) and Damien Lynch (groin) are all causing Kerr concern.
