TIRANA: England’s 2022 World Cup qualifier against Albania this weekend in Tirana will continue after police ruled out any security issues raised by the Albanian Football Federation, police said today.

“State police are looking into everything to ensure safety before, during and after the football match between Albania and England on Sunday,” a spokesman told AFP.

Gent Mullai said it was just a “misunderstanding” and stated it was simply the AFA’s poor reaction to the media.

The AFA said last Thursday that local police could not guarantee the safety of the team.

The cancellation of the match will have a huge impact on the image of the Balkan country, the national team and Albanian football as a whole, an AFA statement said.

Security issues arose after the AFA asked for about a third of the seats at Tirana Stadium-about 6,500-to be opened to supporters.

But the government rejected the request, saying the country was fighting the spread of COVID-19 with only 10 people allowed to assemble.