UEFA say that if there are doubts about the safety of Liverpool’s staff and supporters for the second leg of their Champions League qualifier, the venue will be changed. Liverpool were drawn against Isreali champions Maccabi Haifa this morning, but UEFA say that with there still being almost four weeks until the game takes place there’s time to keep an eye on the situation. They will be consulting the Isreali FA for their assessment too.
Liverpool club secretary Bryce Morrison was Liverpool’s representative at the draw, and was involved in discussions with Maccabi Haifa over the tie. Their suggestion was for the tie to be played in Tel Aviv, which they assured Liverpool would be a safe destination. Morrison seemed unimpressed when interviewed by Sky Sports on the issue, but said the club would of course need to make further checks on the situation. His view was that with little over three weeks to go the matter needed resolving as soon as possible.
Asked if the game should be moved to Cyrpus, he said he didn’t think that would really be suitable: “I don’t think Cyprus is an option with regards the number of people who are trying to come out of Lebanon and arriving in Cyprus. As things stand, we’d very much prefer to see the game played on neutral territory, other than Cyprus.”
Morrison was then due to meet with UEFA officials, but stressed that the matter also needed to be discussed with “the office”, as there were many issues to be considered.