FIFA yesterday barred any standing spectators at future World Cup matches following the stadium tragedy that claimed 81 lives in Guatemala earlier this month.

In a letter to member associations, FIFA said no standing area tickets would be permitted to be sold and such sections must remain empty during a match. That rule already applies to competitive matches held in Europe.

The ruling was one of eight emergency measures designed to improve stadium safety. FIFA also said stadiums which continue use fences for crowd control must make sure they were easily dismantled.

The FIFE executive committee will discuss a proposal to remove crowd control fences for all World Cup matches at its next meeting on December 7th in Barcelona.

The letter said only tickets for numbered seats would be allowed to be sold and stadium capacities must be meticulously checked and verified.

Tickets sales must be arranged to avoid forgery, which is believed to triggered the stampede prior to the start of World Cup qualifier between Guatemala and Costa Rica on October 16th.