Turkish security officials have informed the FAI that in the event of the Republic of Ireland winning tonight's European Championship qualification play-off there may be anything up to a three-hour delay before they depart the Ataturk stadium.

If the Irish do progress at the expense of their hosts then the local authorities have indicated that they will allow the stadium and surrounding streets to clear of all Turkish fans before allowing the team, officials, media and around 200 Irish supporters to commence their journey to Istanbul where an Aer Lingus plane will be waiting to take the official party home.

The decision is a precaution against a repeat of incidents at previous matches in the country at which missiles have been thrown at visiting teams and their supporters. Those incidents had led the FAI to expect a stormy reception upon their arrival in Bursa, but the reality has been very different. Local people have been hospitable, and have been amazed and amused when told of reports in Ireland last week regarding protests in the streets here over the issue of the training facilities for the Turkish team before the Lansdowne Road game.

The precautions which may be taken tonight were standard practice until recently in England where visiting supporters could expect to be kept inside grounds for long periods after games. "The supporters here are very passionate," said Ogan Tarwan of Turkey's NTV network, "and if they feel that Ireland won the game unfairly or that there was some bad tackling then there could be trouble."

But he went on to point out that when teams play well they are treated well and cites the example of Chelsea who were recently given an ovation as they left the pitch in Galatasaray where they had just won 5-0.