[UNDER-20 WORLD CUP] Like Brazil, Turkey is holding a FIFA championship and security is an issue as anti-government protests have swept Istanbul and other Turkishcities in recent weeks. But there was no evidence of the protests as the USA went about its business of preparing for the Under-20 World Cup opener Friday against Spain.

”In terms ofsecurity, we feel secure and we feel we are in a good place and Turkey is a great place to be right now,” Coach Tab Ramos told The Associated Press. ”There is no reason for us to think any differently. We actually drove 45minutes across town to get to
practice and drove through the whole city. There were no signs other than normal life around here.”

FIFA is hopeful that security will not be aproblem at the tournament that runs until July 13.

The protests may impact attendance at the tournament, where only 300,000 of the available 1.3 million tickets have been sold. Theattendance target is 600,000.

Leave a comment