Turkish fixtures postponed by UEFA
LONDON, England -- UEFA have postponed two European club matches in Turkey after the bomb attacks in Istanbul in which at least 26 people died.
The Champions League Group D match between Galatasaray of Turkey and Juventus, scheduled for next Tuesday in Istanbul, had been put back a week to December 2.
The UEFA Cup second round, second leg match between Israel's Maccabi Haifa and Valencia, due to be played in Izmir next Thursday, has also been postponed with a new date and venue yet to be arranged.
"UEFA has decided to postpone the most imminent matches coming up in competitions in Turkey next week, given the seriousness of the incidents that took place in Istanbul and the current confusion on the ground," said a UEFA spokesman.
The UEFA Cup tie, with Maccabi as the home team, was originally moved to Turkey because of security concerns in Israel.
UEFA said they would keep an eye on developments in Turkey in case they needed to make alterations to other fixtures like Chelsea's Champions League visit to Besiktas scheduled for December 9 in Istanbul.
Meanwhile, Chelsea confirmed they had decided not to take up their ticket allocation for the Group G match.
"We had been working closely through UEFA with the Turkish authorities to ensure that it was safe for our fans to travel," said Chelsea chief executive Paul Smith.
"However, today's bombings of British targets, the advice just issued by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, and the generally unsettled situation there, has prompted us to make this final decision," he added.
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