MX23RW : Monday, May 6 19:18:53| >> :600:3457279:3457279:

Wales to discover location of Croatia qualifier 'by end of the week'

There is some uncertainty about Osijek's suitability to host the Euro 2020 qualifying game.

Wales are expected to finally discover the venue of their Euro 2020 qualifier in Croatia by the end of the week.

The Croatian Football Federation announced in the first week of February that the June 8 qualifier would be played at Osijek's Stadion Gradski.

But concerns over the suitability of the venue prompted UEFA to arrange a site visit of the 18,856-capacity stadium.

"We can confirm that the site visit took place last week in Osijek," a UEFA spokesman told Press Association Sport.

"The decision is expected to follow by the end of the week."

Croatia play their home games at a variety of venues, with grounds in Rijeka, Split, Varazdin and the capital Zagreb all used.

Wales have played in Osijek on their last two visits to Croatia.

John Toshack's side lost a friendly there 2-0 in May 2010, while Chris Coleman's team were beaten by the same scoreline in a World Cup qualifier in October 2012.

Welsh fans have been left frustrated by the wait to confirm the venue for the Group E qualifier.

Many supporters arranged transport and accommodation after the Croatian Federation announced that Osijek, which is about 175 miles from Zagreb, would stage the game.

UEFA regulations state that the host association must select the match venue and tell them at least 120 days before the game in question.

The Croatian Football Federation did this on February 5 by selecting Osijek as the match venue.

But Article 26.04 of UEFA's European Football Championship regulations state: "The UEFA administration will take a final decision, confirming the venue or requesting that the host association propose another in accordance with (various) regulations."

Ryan Giggs' side start their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign against Slovakia in Cardiff on March 24 before tackling back-to-back games away to Croatia and Hungary in June.

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Phil Blanche, Press Association Sport');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', 'bf58ca39-4cbd-4451-91e0-c239335f1932');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Wales to discover location of Croatia qualifier \u2018by end of the week\u2019'});

ID:352402: cacheID:352402:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4600:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Eros Grezda in action for Osijek in August 2017
Read Next:
Rangers close to signing Albanian winger?
>
Read more about Ryan Giggs Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal36265588286083
2Manchester CityMan City35257387335482
3Liverpool36239481384378
4Aston Villa36207973532067
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs351861169581160
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle351751378562256
7Chelsea351591170591154
8Manchester UnitedMan Utd34166125251154
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham361310135670-1449
10Bournemouth36139145263-1148
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton351211125357-447
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves36137164960-1146
13Fulham36128165155-444
14Crystal Palace351010154557-1240
15Everton36129153849-1137
16Brentford3699185260-836
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3689194563-1829
18Luton TownLuton3668224978-2926
19Burnley3659223974-3524
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd36372635100-6516


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!