IN/0480

North-south tie could be annual fixture admit FAI
By Alex McGreevy

THE Irish Football Association (IFA) and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), are believed to be moulding plans for an annual international series.
Yesterday's announcement that Northern Ireland will face the Republic in a friendly fixture next May, in aid of the Omagh bomb disaster appeal fund, could be the first of an annual series of fixtures.
Earlier this year it was reported that officials from both associations met to discuss the feasibility of games at U18, U21 and senior international level. A meeting was staged during a B International fixture which marked Lawrie McMenemy's induction as Northern Ireland manager.
Almost £500,000 will be raised for the Omagh bomb disaster appeal fund when Northern Ireland play in Dublin on May 29.
An FAI official confirmed that the game could "be the platform" for annual fixtures, north and south of the border.
The IFA have been handed an unlimited amount of tickets for the game.
"It could be that this particular fixture will be played on a exploratory basis," said spokesman Stephen Finn.
"There is a possibility that both associations may look at this game as the start of something new.
"Without seats, the ground could hold up to 40,000 fans for the match and anything between £500,000 and £3/4m could be raised for the Omagh appeal fund."
The FAI confirmed an attractive list of fixtures to be played in Dublin next year, including the Euro 2000 finals qualifiers against Macedonia, and Yugoslavia.
Paraguay, Sweden and Northern Ireland will all visit Lansdowne Road. Provisional matches have been arranged away to Poland and Denmark.
Paraguay arrive on February 10, followed by Sweden on April 28, and then Northern Ireland.
The Republic will play in Poland on August 18 and then travel to Copenhagen for a game with Denmark on October 9, although both those matches may depend on how teams are progressing in their European Championship qualifiers.
The Republic will also have a three-day training camp in France in late May and an unofficial game against a Brittany XI on May 25.
The Brittany XI, under the ruling of the French Football Federation, are allowed one international game per year.
Republic fixture schedule for 1999: Feb 10 v Paraguay -friendly - Dublin; March 27 Macedonia - Skopje -European Championship; April 28 Sweden - Dublin - friendly; May 25 Brittany XI - Nantes -friendly; May 29 Northern Ireland - Dublin - friendly; June 5 Yugoslavia - Dublin -European Championship; June 9 Macedonia - Dublin -European Championship; August 18 Poland - Away -Provisional friendly; September 4 Croatia - Zagreb - European Championship; September 8 Malta - Valetta - European Championship; October 9 Denmark - Copenhagen -Provisional friendly.