THOUSANDS of Scotland and Celtic fans face a 48-hour wait to discover if they will be allowed to watch their teams in Italy next month.

Italian authorities are holding urgent talks to decide if Scotland's Euro 2008 tie will be switched from Bari to Rome on March 28.

They must also determine if the San Siro - due to house the Champions League game between AC Milan and Celtic on March 7 - can be brought to required safety standards in time.

In both cases, they must decide if if away fans will be allowed into the match. And, if not, thousands of Scots fans will be hugely out of pocket for flights and accommodation already booked.

At the moment, neither venue is in the five in Italy which meet the criteria. But the San Siro is one of two which could get the green light if a few modifications were implemented.

However, there is no guarantee that, even with this work carried out, visiting supporters would be admitted.

Italian authorities insist they will do all in their power to avoid a repeat of the crowd trouble which saw policeman Filippo Raciti killed in Sicily on Friday.

A ban on all away fans is a distinct possibility, though whether this would apply only to domestic matches is still unclear. Under Uefa rules, away fans at Euro Championship and Champions League games must be allocated a percentage of the tickets.

But Uefa spokesman William Gaillard has confirmed they will not attempt to enforce this rule under these exceptional circumstances.

He said: "We will have to apply the law decreed by the Italian authorities. That has always been our policy."

All of which leaves supporters of Scotland and Celtic sweating on their travel plans.

Uefa fully expect the Champions League game to go ahead, even if it is in front of a reduced crowd consisting only of home fans.

And they are leaving it up to the Italian FA to decide where the Euro 2008 match is played.

Around 12,000 Scots fans are estimated to have booked their trips to Bari for the tie, many without insurance.

So, if the venue is switched, they would be severely out of pocket.

New Scotland boss Alex McLeish sympathises with them, and said: "That's a horrible scenario. If they don't get any compensation at all, that would be a massive disappointment."

But McLeish realises safety must come first, and a deputation from the SFA security depart-ment are on their way to Italy to check out the latest developments.

They will discover it is a rapidly changing picture with the Italians determined to be seen to be winning their battle with hooligans, especially with them bidding to host Euro 2012.

The current shutdown of all football in Italy - as decreed by the government - is costing clubs millions.

And it is hoped that, after another round of top-level meetings tomorrow, at least some games will be permitted to go head either this weekend or next.

But the Italian govern-ment refuses to bow to pressure, and is determined that this will be watershed in their fight to beat the hooligans.

Interior Minister Giuliano Amato reiterated: "We will not allow fans to go into a stadium that does not respect the current safety norms.

"Hence, only those stadia that meet the security norms will re-open to the fans, the other stadia will be used to play in, but without fans until they meet guidelines.

"I know it is extravagant to think of soccer play without the public, but I think it is a worse extravagance to have someone die for something like that."