MORE than 200 English soccer fans are awaiting approval from the Chinese Government before they can fly to Beijing to see their national side playing the Chinese national team on May 23.
The organiser of the Beijing game said yesterday they expected a much larger English crowd on the day at the 70,000-seat Beijing Workers' Stadium.
'There are many British firms or enterprises in Beijing and the nearby cities. Many of their employees would like to watch the game,' An Jingtong, a spokesman for the organiser, said.
'The English Football Association has informed us that there would be more than 200 fans travelling from England. But their visit still has to be approved by the Chinese Football Association, the Police and the Foreign Ministry.' An said there would be special security measures at the game.
'There will be a separate seating area for the English fans and a separate team of police on standby by that area.
'There will also be extra police on duty inside the stadium and special traffic controls near the stadium.
