Leeds, Galatasaray officials in a battle of words

“I believe they (UEFA) agree fully with our stance but obviously they have an obligation to consult Galatasaray,” said Ridsdale, who talked with UEFA officials on Friday.

“From what I am hearing, it is unlikely Galatasaray will cooperate and it is then up to UEFA to make the decision.”

Galatasaray said on Saturday it would request a neutral venue for the match if its fans were barred from Leeds. A team official said it had been asked by UEFA not to distribute its 1,800 tickets until it got the word from UEFA, which the club expected on Monday.

“Our concern is whether to take our supporters to leeds or not,” club general secretary Sinan Kalpakcioglu said. “Secondly, there are supporters from other European cities and we cannot control them.

“Finally, if Leeds says it cannot provide security for our supporters, how can it provide security for our players and technical staff? We have to have guarantees.”

“One alternative is that no English supporters be allowed in the stadium either. Another solution would be the play in another city,” Kalpakcioglu said. He said the team had no preference.