Gibraltar v Scotland to be played in Portugal

SCOTLAND will play their final Euro 2016 qualifier against Gibraltar in Portugal, it has been confirmed.
Scotland will travel to Faro to take on Gibraltar. Picture: ContributedScotland will travel to Faro to take on Gibraltar. Picture: Contributed
Scotland will travel to Faro to take on Gibraltar. Picture: Contributed

There were doubts that the match would take place at Gibraltar’s ‘home’ stadium in Faro, the Estadio do Algarve, with London mooted as a possible alternative.

But the Gibraltar Football Association (GFA) has moved to quash rumours of a venue change.

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In a statement posted on Facebook, the body said: “Following speculation that matches may be moved to venues in London, the GFA would like to confirm that the European Qualifiers against Germany (13th June 2015), the Republic of Ireland (4th September 2015) and Scotland (11th October 2015) will take place at the Estadio do Algarve in Faro/Loule, Portugal.”

Gibraltar fans had hit out at what they called heavy-handed security procedures during their Euro 2016 qualifier with Poland, with a new security firm brought in for the match against Georgia.

Money disputes with UEFA and the Portuguese FA have also been resolved, the GFA confirmed.

The statement continued: “Concerns over security arrangements have also been resolved after the GFA contracted a new security company to deal with security at the stadium on match-days.

“The new company performed satisfactorily during the recent match versus Georgia and the feedback received by the GFA from our supporters was very positive in that respect.”

The GFA confirmed that they had received communication from the German, Irish and Scottish football associations urging them to hold the match in Faro so fans who had already booked flights and accommodation would not be left out of pocket.

The GFA added that they were ‘content to continue using the Estadio do Algarve’ as their designated ‘home’ stadium, until ‘such time as there is a stadium in Gibraltar which meets with UEFA’s approval’.

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