Bernard O'Byrne, the FAI's chief executive, yesterday advised Irish supporters to think carefully about travelling to Turkey for the game on November 17th.

O'Byrne, in Aachen for the draw, said the experience of many Irish supporters who accompanied the team to Istanbul for the European Championship game in 1991 had not been pleasant.

"In the light of what happened then, and remembering how volatile Turkish crowds can be, we strongly recommend that people think twice before making up their minds on whether they wish to come with us," he said.

Ray Treacy Travel, the FAI's official tour operators, said that while they would continue to look after the needs of the official party, they would not be organising charter flights for supporters on this occasion.

"Given the reports which have come out about visiting fans from many countries at games in Turkey, we consider it inadvisable to organise trips for our supporters on this occasion," said a spokesman.

O'Byrne said that the kick-off time for the first game at Lansdowne Road would be announced after consultations with Mick McCarthy and the Garda authorities. But he hoped that the necessary arrangements would be in place within a couple of days.

He also confirmed that Turkish officials are considering moving the second game out of Istanbul and staging it at a smaller ground in Bursa, where the atmosphere for visiting teams can be even more intimidating.

"That is the prerogative of the host federation, and once the ground conforms to standard there is very little we can do about it," he said.