Tartan Army in venue ruling call

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/scotland/north_east/5399696.stm

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Tartan Army football supporters have called on the sport's governing bodies to give fans more notice of the venues for international fixtures.

The Association of Tartan Army Clubs (Atac) has petitioned Fifa and Uefa asking them to change the ruling which requires a minimum of 60 days notice.

Atac said this leaves many fans having to pay increased air prices and struggling to find accommodation.

The call is for fans to get a minimum of 150 days notice.

As the late, great Jock Stein once said: 'Football without the fans is nothing' Atac spokesman

Atac said that in March last year when Scotland played in Italy, the Italian FA did not confirm Milan as the venue until the 60 days before the match, the absolute minimum notice required under the current regulations.

An Atac spokesman said: "This led to many fans having to pay increased prices for air fares and many struggled to find accommodation in Milan due to the short timescale.

"The venue for next week's international against the Ukraine was also not confirmed until the very last minute. Again, a number of fans have struggled to secure accommodation in Kiev.

"In March 2007, Scotland again play in Italy. No venue has been confirmed for this match and, as before, we expect that this will not happen until the end of January 2007.

"It is our hope that with widespread support, the governing bodies of Fifa and Uefa will strongly consider our case when compiling the competition rules for the next international qualifying campaigns and beyond."

A letter to Uefa and Fifa ends: "We ask you not to forget about the fans. As the late, great Jock Stein once said: 'Football without the fans is nothing'."