Security advisers at Chelsea and the British Consulate in Turkey "are working together to ascertain the circumstances that led to two travelling supporters being stabbed in apparently separate incidents around the same bar" in Istanbul on the eve of the club's Champions League meeting with Galatasaray, according to Dominic Fifield of the London GUARDIAN. The clashes are understood to have taken place in the busy Taksim Square area of the city on Tuesday evening. Neither of the Chelsea supporters wounded "is thought to have been seriously hurt -- one is believed to have been stabbed in the buttocks and the other in his hand -- and it is believed neither required hospital attention" (GUARDIAN, 2/26). The IRISH EXAMINER reported police warned it is "not safe" for fans to use the Metro to and from the Champions League clash with Galatasaray. English fans "have been victims of violence" in Istanbul before, with two Leeds fans stabbed to death before a UEFA Cup tie in '00. The U.K. Foreign Office has warned fans about anti-government demonstrations taking place across Turkey, telling fans to "keep up to date with developments, be vigilant and avoid any protests or demonstrations" (IRISH EXAMINER, 2/26).
