FA chief's apology for riots

The chief executive of the English Football Association, David Davies, has condemned the violence between Arsenal and Galatasaray fans in Copenhagen.

"We apologise to the Danes for what happened in the last 48 hours. They deserve apologies from ourselves and the Turks," he said. "We condemn those involved, Turkish and British."

We will play a full part in restoring the relationship between England and Turkey

David Davies
FA chief executive

But he insisted that England's bid to host the World Cup in 2006 would not be fundamentally affected by the fans' behaviour.

Five fans were seriously injured in the violence in the Danish capital before the match - which the Turkish side won on penalties after a 0-0 draw. Police arrested 43 people, 18 of whom were British.

David Davies: "There are absolutely no excuses"

Mr Davies called the violence "unhelpful", but said: "The decision on 2006 will be about which country has the best facilities, the best infrastructure, the best grounds."

He added that other countries who were bidding - South Africa and Germany are England's main rivals - had their own problems with violence.

"I think FIFA executives have always made it clear they recognise that issue and it is unlikely to figure prominently in their thoughts," Mr Davies said.

While FIFA - the world governing body of football - considers whether England is fit to stage the game's biggest tournament, there were renewed fears over security during the European championships.

English fans were injured during violence

Belgium and Holland are staging Euro 2000 next month, and both England and Turkey will be taking part.

BBC correspondent Chris Morris said Uefa would have to take both Holland and Germany's large Turkish populations into consideration.

He said this could affect the level of security at the forthcoming matches.

The English Football Association has promised to discuss with its security advisors whether any more can be done to ensure the safety of fans travelling to Euro 2000.

Fans clashed in Copenhagen

Mr Davies said that a meeting with the Turkish Football Association had been brought forward after the trouble in Copenhagen.

"They need to understand much more clearly our concerns ahead of the next time English and Turkish teams travel to each others' countries," he said.

"We will play a full part in restoring the relationship between England and Turkey."