Turkish FA urges fans to behave

Istanbul:

Turkey's soccer federation today urged Turkish fans to behave "like gentlemen" during their national squad's crucial Euro 2004 qualifier against England on October 11. England has turned down its ticket allotment for the game and has warned fans not to travel to Istanbul because of a history of crowd trouble between fans from the two countries. Turkish officials have pledged tight security and have banned English fans from the stadium to avoid any trouble. "While our players are on the field making history, we fully believe our fans will support our national team continuously and act like gentlemen," the federation said in a statement. "Our only wish is that Turkish soccer, along with the fans and the media, end this game with honour." The sold out match at Istanbul's Sukru Saracoglu Stadium will determine which Group 7 team advances directly to next year's Euro 2004 finals. England leads the group standings with 19 points from seven games, followed by Turkey with 18. (AP)