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Bad news for Ireland? Scotland's away clash with Georgia could be behind closed doors

A tricky assignment may get a little easier for Gordan Strachan’s side.

CURRENTLY SITTING IN fourth place in Group D of Euro 2016 qualifying, the Republic of Ireland are counting on the teams around them dropping some points between now and the end of the campaign.

And the Irish camp would pinpoint Scotland’s away fixture in Georgia as a potential banana-skin, a fixture that may trouble Gordan Strachan’s team.

Tbilisi is usually a tricky place to go. It took an injury-time winner from Aiden McGeady for Ireland to get the better of the hosts last September and though Poland breezed past the Georgians, Germany huffed and puffed and finally secured a 2-0 win in the capital city last weekend.

But it now seems likely that Scotland’s clash in Georgia on 4th September will be played behind closed doors after Uefa opened disciplinary proceedings against the Georgian Football Federation.

Twice against Germany, home fans ran onto the pitch and disrupted the game. Already, the federation president Zviad Sichinava is fearing the worst:

Delegates from Uefa are already sending reports and unfortunately there will be monetary sanctions. Also the next Georgia home game – against Scotland – could be held without spectators.”

A decision on Georgia’s punishment will be made on 21st May.

Georgia have found themselves on the wrong side of Uefa before. Ironically, during a Euro 2004 qualifier against the Republic of Ireland, home fans threw missiles at the Irish players.

On that occasion, Georgia’s initial punishment was to play their next game behind closed doors but this was later reduced on appeal.

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Eoin O'Callaghan
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