Republic of Ireland v England: FA warns fans about anti-IRA songs

Republic of Ireland
The 1995 match in Dublin between Republic and Ireland and England was abandoned in the first half with the hosts 1-0 up

The Football Association has warned England fans to not sing anti-IRA songs during next month's friendly in Dublin against the Republic of Ireland.

England will play in Dublin on 7 June, their first match in the Irish capital since 1995 when an international was abandoned following crowd trouble.

The FA statementexternal-link urged supporters to "show respect and not chant songs that could be regarded as insulting".

The match will also start at 13:00 BST to "alleviate the security concerns".

Eighteen fans in the England Supporters Travel Club have had their memberships suspended since the start of the current European Championship qualifying campaign, while a further 46 people have been warned about inappropriate behaviour or ticket violations.

The FA statement added: "England fans' behaviour abroad has dramatically improved over the last decade but the FA and authorities are not complacent in this area.

"As ever, the FA continues to work with relevant authorities behind the scenes ahead of all fixtures and certain measures have already been put in place for the Republic of Ireland game."

All England fans will have to collect their tickets from the FA while a 'passport surrender system' has been implemented for supporters subject to football banning orders.

England and Ireland met in a Wembley friendly in May 2013 which ended 1-1.