A recently instituted Ukrainian ban on public gatherings to halt a swine flu outbreak could place upcoming soccer matches with Inter Milan and the Greek national side in jeopardy, a senior government official said on Friday.
“Everything that concerns football leagues, there will be discussions and certain consultations,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko told reporters in Kiev.
Ukrainian officials announced on Tuesday morning the probable deaths of 11 persons to the swine flu virus. Among other disease control measures, Tymoshenko ordered a three-week nationwide ban on all “massed gatherings.”
Were the ban to be fully enforced, two upcoming international matches to be played in Ukraine would become impossible.
On Wednesday, Dynamo Kiev are scheduled to play Inter Milan in the Champions League, while 10 days later Ukraine meet Greece in a World Cup playoff.
The public gathering order would apply to events such as political demonstrations and rock concerts, but whether or not soccer matches should take place during the ban would be a decision for sports and health officials, Tymoshenko said, according to an Interfax news agency report.
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