A total of 45 England fans have been refused entry to Turkey after defying British government and Football Association (FA) appeals not to try to attend Saturday's Euro 2004 qualifier in Istanbul, officials said.

David Swift, head of the English policing team in Istanbul, told reporters on Saturday that 43 had already been found seats on flights back to Britain and that the two remaining would soon follow.

Swift said no incidents had so far been reported involving English people in Istanbul and predicted that no more than 200 England fans would try to get to the Group Seven decider at Fenerbahce's stadium.

The FA has not taken up its ticket allocation and has urged fans to stay away from the game, amid fears for crowd safety and a potential exclusion from the tournament by UEFA.

England need a draw to qualify for next year's tournament in Portugal and send Turkey to next month's playoffs.