They can't, end of.Originally Posted by backstothewall
The team HAS to be in ROI 24 hours (minimum) before kick-off.
They can't, end of.
The team HAS to be in ROI 24 hours (minimum) before kick-off.
Eh? Why would I make something like that up?
I went out to Italia 90 with two Scottish mates (Turin, Milan, Genoa) and when they went home after two weeks - predictably enough lol - I stayed on for a few days, to visit an old work acquaintance, then taking the train over to Bologna for the Belgium/England game. I was hoping to blag a ticket, but when I got to the stadium, some Dutch touts who were selling them suddenly got attacked by a mob of English supporters and the Carabinieri, who were clearly on edge, suddenly moved in and all hell broke loose with batons and tear gas etc.
Which was my cue to get out of Dodge, taking a bus? tram? back into the centre and finding a quiet pub to watch the game on tv, before getting a late train back up North that evening, curiously enough in a carriage of Belgian fans. (They were fine when they found out I wasn't English).
I've probably got some photo's up in the loft somewhere if you need more proof, though I've long since thrown out the Scotland shirt I bought for the trip (hadn't wanted to be mistaken for an English hoolie).
P.S. I was also at the ROI v Romania game in Genoa, if you want to hear what that was like.
Last edited by EalingGreen; 05/03/2026 at 1:46 PM.
The Belgian/ England game is infamously known for the clash of Italian and English “fans”, resulting in mass deportations. Presumed you were talking about that which you didn’t witness.
You had a whale of a time and it was a mighty occasion?
Er, I got to the stadium a couple of hours early in searcxh of a ticket, so didn't witness all the worst of the violence, since I got the hell out when it first kicked off. But what I did see was England fans attacking/mugging Dutch ticket touts, which cause the cops to intervene and the mayhem to commence.
Which was plenty bad enough for me, and quite adequate to reflect my own observation that present day England fans are nothing like the tramps they were back then.
Which was only the point I making in the first place.
But your point is unfortunately wrong
Everyone knows the majority of English fans are non violent, but there still is a serious issue with sections of their fan base.
Euro 2020 final in Wembley was quite frankly revolting
As someone who was living in London and had a couple of mates at the game, I can tell you that that game was a "perfect storm", which hadn't occurred before, and hasn't occurred since.
In essence, the troublemakers were a group of people who assembled in/around Wembley, many off their heads on drink/cocaine after a day in the sun and "off the leash" after lockdown. The fact that they were ticketless shows that they weren't regular England fans, but instead were determined to "dib" their way in i.e. force entry, a process helped by inadequate security, policing and stewarding etc.
And for a time this "dibbing" also became a thing eg at concerts, boxing and horse-racing etc, until the authorities were forced to learn new ways of combatting it. The point being that these scumbags haven't been seen anywhere near England home games before or since, never mind away games.
Which is the same eg as the 2022 CL Final in the Stade de France, where Liverpool fans were intially "blamed" for the mayhem and violence etc, until it emerged that it was complete outsiders from the badlands of Saint Denis etc who were responsible.
Or do you attach the same "hooligan" label to French football fans on account of that?
Surely that's not the case. You're saying that if NI were playing against Ireland they'd have to stay in Dublin before it?
Are you ok?
Yes
Just the same as when ROI were playing in Belfast (1993), they had to stay in NI from the night before, despite their plea for an exemption to be allowed to stay just over the border (Slieve Russell?) and travel in and out on the day.
Of course it wouldn't necessarily have to be Dublin itself, but the visiting team is always going to prefer somewhere that doesn't involve a long coach trip to the stadium on the day, So in your example, NI might prefer to stay eg near whatever training centre they were using, even if it was not exactly in the city itself, abd travel in. But they'd never choose eg Kerry or Donegal, for obvious reasons.
Anyhow UEFA cannot permit individual teams to pick and choose solely on the basis of geographical proximity. Of course NI/ROI could work, ditto LUX/GER, but where do you draw the line?
In the end, teams have to be in the host country the night before, and thereafter will always want to be in or around the host city, to minimise the length of journey, and any possibility of travel disruption, to the stadium on matchday.
Not sure you're correct here, looking at the most recent Uefa Nation's League articles. 42.01Visiting associations must arrange for their teams to arrive at the match venue no later than 24 hours before kick-off of all matches of the league phase, play-offs and quarter-finals.42.02During the finals, the teams must arrive at their assigned team hotel or be within a reasonable distance of the match venue no later than 24 hours before kick-off and in time for their media activities.43.01The day before a match in the league phase, the play-offs and the quarter-finals, pitch conditions permitting, both teams are allowed to train for a maximum of one hour on the pitch on which the match is to take place. If holding such training sessions could render the pitch unfit for play the next day, an alternative training ground must be made available. Alternative training grounds must be approved by the UEFA administration in advance. If both teams wish to train at the same time, priority is given to the visiting team. Alternatively, both training sessions may be allowed at the stadium but limited to certain areas of the pitch, provided that the restrictions on the use of the pitch are communicated in writing to each team. Pitch watering ahead of a visiting team’s official training session at the stadium must be agreed between the two associations in the league phase, play-offs and quarter-finals. In principle, the stadium’s retractable roof should be in the same position for training sessions as anticipated for the match, subject to the prevailing weather conditions.43.05If the visiting team and/or referees cannot train at the stadium the day before the match for whatever reason (e.g. pitch conditions), they must be permitted to visit the stadium the day before the match.44.01For the finals, UEFA provides each association a number of pre-selected team hotels with training centres. Should an association choose another training centre, then it must ensure full compliance with these regulations and cover all the related costs.44.02All training centres used during the finals are considered official. The UEFA administration will issue specific instructions and guidelines regarding the use of such training centres.------------>So basically Israel need to be at the stadium one day before, where they can train, do media etc. But in the group stages, there's nothing stopping them so long as they arrive at the stadium at least 24 hours in advance of the game and on game day. So they could go to Dublin to see the stadium and do media, police escort from Dublin to NI, staying in any hotel they want to, police escort from NI to Dublin. In 42.02 and 44.01, they make note of the hotel for the finals but that doesn't apply for the group stages
Even before the Champions League, there was the famous instance of when Man United were drawn against Wrexham in the 1991 Cup Winners Cup (which they ultimately won outright), and had to stay overnight in the Welsh city, even though the driving distance is roughly 40 minutes!
If you are suggesting UEFA rules mean the team has to be in the country at least 24 hours before but they then leave the country and come back in and that woudl be ok you are just wrong.On that basis a team could say they were in the country a year ago or 2 or 3 and are now going to turn up 2 hours before kick off. technically that would be being in the country at least 24 hours earlier.Its not rocket science its 24 hours end of
Yes please
It was 0-0 AET, ROI won on pens. HTH.
these rules only relate to the nation's league. there are different rules in place for the champions league and other uefa qualifiers. the rules make a specific distinction regarding hotels for the finals and that rule isn't present for the group stage. if there was no distinction between the two stages then they wouldn't have inserted clause 41.2 into the rules. they also make specific reference to 'within a reasonable distance of the match venue' in 41.2, which isn't present for the group stage. so basically for the finals a team needs to be either a) at the stadium b) at their hotel (which has to be approved by uefa) c) at an alternate training facility if stadium is unplayable or d) within a reasonable distance of the match venue - whereas that is just in place for the finalsif you read the thing, the inference would seem to be that for the group stage, the away team needs to be at the stadium at the agreed time the day before the game to train or to inspect the stadium if pitch is unplayable for training (thus being there at least 24 hours before) and they need to be in the stadium 75 mins before the game. what happens in between those windows after they leave the stadium and before they return is up to the away national association.
Incredible level of detail. Thank you
I can probably understand that, for any non-Ireland supporter in the stadium, that wouldn't have been much of a game to be at, in truth.
Fair comment, though the penalty shoot-out was exciting. Tbh, I remember more about the lead-up to the game and the surrounding circumstances etc, including getting a free match ticket from some FAI Blazer who was giving out handfuls for free outside the stadium, than I do the match itself.
I remember Hagi being top class
I'm 40 and I don't know if I remember it or if I've just seen it so often that I believe I remember it
Posting Permissions
Quote
Bookmarks