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| July 29, 2006 | Saturday | Rajab 2, 1427 |
AC Milan and Liverpool face nervous wait after draws
PARIS, July 28: Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez insisted on Friday that his side should not have to play their Champions League qualifier against Maccabi Haifa in war-torn Israel.
Benitez's men were paired against Maccabi in Friday's draw for the third qualifying round of the competition and are scheduled to play the second leg of the tie in Israel on August 22 or 23.
However, the on-going cross-border conflict with Lebanon makes Israel a highly dangerous destination at present.
UEFA, European football's governing body, currently allows only Tel Aviv to host club matches in Israel, but Benitez faces an anxious wait to discover if the tie will be moved to a neutral venue.
He told Liverpool's website: “There is no way we should be going to Israel to play a game of football at this time. It's crazy to even consider it. UEFA cannot put anyone at risk.
“The situation is very clear in my mind. It's a crazy situation and totally unacceptable to even think about us going over there at this time.
“I feel sad for the people over there at the moment because it's a terrible time for them, but we have to put the security and safety of everyone involved before anything else and that means we cannot travel there. It would be impossible to concentrate on the game.
“UEFA need to make a decision quickly because there will be lots of our supporters wanting to know what is happening.”AC Milan, Champions League winners in 2003, will face Red Star Belgrade or Cork City in the third qualifying round — if they are allowed to enter this year's competition.
The Italian giants were recently punished for their part in the Serie A corruption scandals and are waiting to discover if a UEFA committee, which meets on August 2, will sanction their participation in Europe's leading club competition.
Red Star are Milan's likely opponents after they edged the first leg of their second round clash at Irish side Cork 1-0.—AFP
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