The 2006 World Cup qualifying match that will take place on September 3 in Tbilisi will be truly unusual for Ukraine. First of all, because at the capital's Lokomotiv stadium, Oleh Blokhin's charges will not have to feel the pressure of the stands, familiar from all away matches. Local fans, and along with them all Georgian football supporters, have been punished for disorder and inhospitality in previous qualifying matches held in late March, when the Greek and Turkish national teams visited Tbilisi.
FIFA reacted harshly to the recorded violations: by a decision of the Disciplinary Committee dated April 29, the Georgian fan has been banned from two games involving the national team, and a fine of 5,000 Swiss francs has been imposed on the local federation.
So in September, with empty stands, the Georgians will compete at home not only against the "yellow-blues" but also against Serhiy Tymofeiev's team – the Kazakhs will meet the hosts on the football field on October 8. The only exception is representatives of the media and official delegations, who will have access to the match and will work as usual. The youth teams will "sort things out" in a usual setting – a similar sanction does not apply to the match between the second teams of Georgia and Ukraine.