Litex to play Maccabi Haifa in Netherlands

SOFIA, Aug 31 (Reuters) Litex Lovech will play the first leg of their UEFA Cup first round tie against Israel's Maccabi Haifa in the Dutch town of Nijmegen, the Bulgarian premier league said today.

UEFA will reconsider its ban on matches played in Israel on September 14, however, the Haifa-based club are due to play Litex on that day.

Israeli clubs have been prevented from hosting matches on home soil by UEFA because of the war in the north of the Jewish state with Lebanese guerrilla group Hizbollah.

The return leg will be staged on September 28 in Lovech.

Litex knocked out Slovenia's Koper and Omonia of Cyprus in the preliminary rounds of the competition. Last season, the Lovech-based club reached the knock out phase.

Reuters PDS VV2109