ISTANBUL - Turkish authorities are braced for an invasion of tens of thousands of English and Italian fans ahead of next Wednesday's European Champions League final at the Ataturk stadium between Liverpool and AC Milan.
In addition to problems of security, authorities are also facing a headache to lodge travelling fans with hotels in the city already booked to capacity.
"All hotel owners tell me the same thing, there are no rooms left and the waiting list is long," the head of the union of Turkish hotelliers (TUROB), Timur Bayindir told AFP.
About 70,000 tickets for the final will be distributed, with 20,000 each for the two clubs, 16,000 for fans in Europe and 6,000 for sponsors with the rest going to European and national sporting bodies.
"That makes at least 50,000 foreign fans expected in Istanbul. According to official statistics the city has a capacity of 100,000 beds and we're already in high season with 60 to 70 percent already filled," said Bayindir.
"We've found ourselves with 10,000 to 20,000 fans on our hands with the travel agencies trying to find accommodation for them on the outskirts of Istanbul."
Izmit, 100km to the east and Yalova, 50km by boat, are expected to house many as prices within Istanbul have rocketed with many hotels refusing bookings for just one night.
"In light of the strong demand we've refused reservations for just one night and are requiring a minimum stay of three nigths," said Seder Baran, spokeswoman for the five star Ritz-Carlton where room prices vary from 300 to 6,500 euros (380-8,200 dollars) per night.
The Ciragan Palace, a former Ottoman place on the banks of the Bosphorus, is also booked out.
"All rooms are reserved, even the Sultan's suite at 14,000 dollars a night," said spokesman Evren Kaya-Susamis.
"We've even rented two boats with two suites for our guests."
Basaran Ulusoy, chairman of Turkish travel agencies union, believes the city is ready for a windfall with fans "expected to spend at least 50 million dollars in Istanbul between May 24 and 26 May between transport, lodging and purchases."
But in addition to accommdation problems authorities face a security headache as they look to avoid the kinds of scenes when two Leeds fans died in April 2000 before a UEFA Cup match against Istanbul club Galatasaray after a pitch battle between supporters.
Liverpool's presence in Istanbul on May 25 also evoked memories of the Heysel stadium tragedy in Brussels in 1985.
As Liverpool and Juventus were preparing to contest the European Cup final, a wall collapsed killing 39 people as Juventus fans tried to escape a surging mass of Liverpool fans.
But local officials are adamant similar scenes will not take place.
About 2,600 stewards will be spread throughout the crowd and 1,000 police will be present, including 600 hidden underneath the stands.
English fans will arrive by charter plane at the Sabiha Gokcen airport, on the Asian side of the city, while those from Italy will fly into the Ataturk airport on the European side.
The two groups of fans will be escorted to the stadium by different routes and will occupy distinctly different parts of the 78,000-capacity venue.
Sami Colgecen, who is in charge of organising the final, told AFP: "We don't have any particular worries about British supporters. A list of hooligans will soon be sent to us and they will not be able to enter Turkey."
Strict security checks will be made at Istanbul airports by Turkish police, aided by British authorities, and any trouble makers would be quickly identified, added Colgecen.
The Turkish Cup final last week served as a dress rehearsal with about 8,000 police, stewards and officials on hand.
Istanbul governor Muammer Guler said: "We deployed all the measures which could be needed for the Champions League final and we were happy with the results."
The 120-million-dollar Olympic stadium of Ataturk is three and a half years old and was built as part of Istanbul's plan to attract the Olympics to the city but it has been largely underused. It is the biggest and most modern stadium in Turkey.
Several hundred buses will ensure transport to the stadium, which is about 20km outside the city, with the help of reserved lanes and traffic restrictions imposed in certain areas.

05/20/2005 00:03 GMT