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UEFA await report on half-time row
ISTANBUL, Turkey (Reuters) -- UEFA have delivered a glowing verdict on Turkey's Euro 2004 qualifying decider against England after Saturday's potentially explosive encounter passed off without any significant crowd trouble. But they said a half-time row between England captain David Beckham and Turkish defender Alpay Ozalan could be investigated after referee Pierluigi Collina's report is submitted. The 0-0 draw in Fenerbahce's Sukru Saracoglu Stadium was enough for England to qualify for the finals. Turkey must now hope to get to Portugal next summer via the playoffs. Months of planning by European soccer's governing body and the Turkish and English authorities preceded the Group Seven clash, culminating in a huge security operation. There had been fears of violence between two sets of fans who have a history of bad feeling since two Leeds United supporters were stabbed to death in the city before a UEFA Cup tie against Galatasaray in 2000. The English FA, wary that serious hooliganism could lead to England being thrown out of the competition, declined to take up any tickets for the match while 5,000 police were on duty to ensure Turkish fans behaved in the stadium. A trouble-free evening vindicated the elaborate planning. "While there are incidents that may be reflected in the referee's reports, it is important to look at the event as a whole," UEFA's director of communication Mike Lee said on Sunday. "Given the concerns that we all had in the build-up to the game it is obviously very encouraging that the match was able to take place in a safe environment and lots of credit must go to the Turkish and English authorities." Unsavory incidentThe one unsavory incident came after Beckham had scooped a first-half penalty high over the bar. He was verbally abused by Alpay and the pair were involved in a brief scuffle as they walked off at half-time. Italian referee Collina spoke to both players during the interval and UEFA will wait for his official match report before deciding whether to take any action. "Collina had a superb game and spoke to both players," Lee added. "As in all matters like this, we will only decide if any action is required once we have seen the referee's report. "At the moment we are preferring to concentrate on the positives that came out of the evening." Copyright 2003 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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