Russia mulls easing visa restrictions for English soccer fans for Champions League final

The Foreign Ministry has already decided to cut some red tape, and all that remains is to decide what documents the supporters need to submit to get the tourist visas.

"In principle, the decision to simplify the process is there. How this will be done is another question," said a ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

The official said fans may have to wait until next week to find out because Thursday and Friday are public holidays in Russia.

An all-English final on May 21 was guaranteed after Manchester United beat FC Barcelona 1-0 in the second leg of the semifinals after a goalless draw in Spain.

Chelsea and Liverpool, who played a 1-1 draw in the first leg, met in the other semifinal Wednesday evening.

Manchester United chief executive David Gill will travel to Moscow on Thursday to meet UEFA officials to discuss the visa issue and other logistical matters.

"If you are on an organized trip, your ticket will be your visa," he told MUTV. "The actual specifics and fine details will be addressed in the next day or so and then we will communicate with the fans."

United will be allocated just over 21,000 tickets, he said.

"Everyone in UEFA from (president) Michel Platini to the local organizing committee recognize in order for it to be a showcase, which it clearly will be, you have to ease entry into the country while not totally doing away with what the Russian authorities require," Gill said.

UEFA said Wednesday that one rule set to be relaxed is a requirement that all visitors to Russia provide details of a hotel room booking.

"We have urged the Russian authorities to come up with a simplified visa procedure," UEFA spokesman William Gaillard told The Associated Press in Switzerland.

"This has been done by contacts between our president and the top level of the Russian government hierarchy. We have encountered a lot of goodwill on the Russian side. They are trying to put together a package that is attractive to supporters."

Russian officials in London sought to calm any lingering nerves.

"We would like to assure all fans wishing to support their club in Moscow that, despite the extremely tight timeframe, all visa applications will be considered promptly," the Russian Embassy in London said in a statement Wednesday.

Anton Borysenko, a spokesman for the Russian National Tourist Office _ which the Russian Embassy in London has charged with dealing with visas for the supporters _ said: "We are 100 percent sure that all fans will get their visas."

The office will process visas for the finalists' official supporters clubs, and has already issued tourist visas to individual fans, Borysenko said.

Supporters of the two finalists will get 47,000 tickets to the Luznhiki Stadium match, presenting a nightmare of logistics for visas, accommodation and security.

The visa issue has not been helped by frosty relations between London and Moscow.

"We are convinced that football lovers from both countries would have only benefited had the United Kingdom government not decided in July 2007 to suspend negotiations with Russia on a bilateral agreement easing visa regulations and toughen the approach toward Russian citizens applying for British visas," the embassy said.

"Many problems could have been avoided if Russia and the United Kingdom had an agreement similar to that existing between our country and the European Union."

Many Manchester United fans are worried about the stringent visa requirements.

Geoff Pearson, who runs an MBA course in soccer at Liverpool University, fears that sending off his passport to the Russian authorities will prevent him from lecturing abroad before the final.

"It could be disastrous for me," said Pearson, who will take four different airlines to reach Moscow. "This will be the most problematic final for fans because of the visa situation and Moscow being incredibly expensive to get to and to get accommodation there."

Some fans aren't going to Moscow because of the hassles.

Duncan Drasdo, chairman of the Manchester United Supporters Trust, attended the 1999 final in Barcelona, but said he won't make the trip to the Russian capital with his two young sons.

"For this final there will be a lot fewer fans traveling this time without tickets because of the potential difficulties of being in Moscow," he said.

Meanwhile, Moscow police shrugged off the potential threat of violent clashes between fans.

Yevgeny Gildeyev, a spokesman for Moscow city police, said months of planning had prepared authorities for the invasion of fans, and the fact that they will represent fierce English rivals would not make policing more difficult.

"We have a coordinated plan of action. From the moment they arrive, fans of each team will have police escorts and will be kept apart. I don't see how they will have the chance to clash," Gildeyev said.

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Associated Press writers Graham Dunbar in Geneva, Switzerland, and Rob Harris in Manchester, England, contributed to this report.

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