Kiev - A recently-instituted Ukrainian ban on public gatherings to halt a swine flu outbreak could place upcoming football matches with Inter Roma and the Greek national side in jeopardy, a senior government official said Friday. "Everything that concerns football leagues, there will be discussions and certain consultations," said Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, at a Kiev press conference.
Ukrainian officials Tuesday morning announced the probable deaths of 11 persons to the swine flu virus.
Among other disease control measures, Tymoshenko ordered a three- week nationwide ban on all "massed gatherings."
Were the ban to be fully enforced, two upcoming international matches to be played in Ukraine would become impossible.
On November 4, Dynamo Kiev are scheduled to play Inter Milan in the Champions League while 10 days later Ukraine meet Greece in a World Cup playoff.
The public gathering order would apply to events such as political demonstrations and rock concerts, but whether or not football matches should take place during the ban would be a decision for sports and health officials, Tymoshenko said, according to an Interfax news agency report.
The Dynamo-Inter Group F match is scheduled to be played in the Ukrainian capital Kiev.
The Greece-Ukraine game, the first of a two-game playoff, is scheduled to be played in the eastern city of Donetsk.
Swine flu deaths thus far have been confirmed only in Ukraine's western regions, but a chance of the virus spreading is significant, Tymoshenko said.
Schools nationwide will remain closed for three weeks as another protective measure, she said.
