PSG fans barred from French Cup semi
PARIS - Fans of Paris Saint-Germain will be banned from attending their side's French Cup semi-final away to amateurs Quevilly later this month for safety reasons, the French Football Federation (FFF) said on Thursday.
"The Paris Saint-Germain club having decided to stop selling tickets (for away matches) until further notice, the PSG supporters will be barred from attending the PSG-Quevilly match," the FFF said in a statement.
PSG decided to stop selling tickets for away matches for the rest of the season following the death of a fan last month after he was beaten up by a rival group from his own club.
The FFF said measures would be taken to ensure PSG fans could not access tickets for the Cup match to be played in Caen on April 14.
Quevilly, who play in the equivalent of the fourth division and knocked out Ligue 1 sides Stade Rennes and Boulogne-sur-Mer on their way to the last four, had hoped to play in Rouen, near the small Normandy town.
The FFF and security officials decided, however, that the match would be played at Caen, 120 kms away, because the Rouen stadium did not meet the safety requirements for a French Cup semi-final.
Security will be tightened with over 800 police on duty, among them a recently-created unit specialised in fighting hooliganism, the French Interior ministry said in a statement.
Monaco host Ligue 1 rivals Racing Lens in the other semi-final on April 13.
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