Davis Cup Terror Fear

The bomb blast in Casablanca last week that killed more than 40 people may lead to September's Davis Cup world group qualifying tie between Morocco and Britain being switched to a neutral country.

The Davis Cup is particularly vulnerable to the disruption brought about by global terrorism, with more than 100 countries worldwide involved in the annual tournament.

The Lawn Tennis Association yesterday expressed its concern in light of the suicide bombings. The Foreign Office's current travel advice for Morocco is that "public gatherings and demonstrations" should be avoided, although clearly such advice may be amended in the future.

The International Tennis Federation which runs the Davis Cup will await a report from their risk assessment company and insurers, Marsh, who are also the sponsors of the British Davis Cup team, with the ITF's Davis Cup committee making the final decision. Recent Fed Cup matches, the women's equivalent of the Davis Cup, that were scheduled for Turkey were moved to Portugal because of the Iraqi conflict with only a week's notice.

"We are monitoring the situation and we will await advice from our risk assessment company. The final decision will be based on that advice. But we have no specific date set aside for the decision to be made," said an ITF spokesperson.

It is possible the tie might be played in Britain, although only with Morocco's explicit approval, and a neutral venue is more likely. The LTA issued the following statement yesterday: "We would like to express our deep sympathy to the people of Morocco following the terrorist attack in Casablanca.

"As far as our scheduled Davis Cup tie in Casablanca is concerned, the safety of all fans, players and officials attending the tie must be paramount and we will be in regular consultation with the ITF and the Moroccan Tennis Federation."

Britain played a Davis Cup match in Ecuador in 2001 two weeks after the September 11 attacks.