Kiev, 4 Nov. (AKI) - Football fans will be required to wear masks to protect them from the H1N1 virus when they attend Wednesday's Champions League match between Inter Milan and Dynamo Kiev to be held in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. The top European football association UEFA confirmed the game would go ahead despite an outbreak of H1N1 , commonly known as swine flu, in the Ukraine.

Despite an appeal by the mayor of Kiev, Leonid Cernovetskyi, asking fans to stay away and watch the game on television, 90 per cent of tickets for the match have been sold and the game is expected to be sold out.

"We have bought the protective masks and these will be distributed to fans when they enter the stadium" said Dynamo Kiev's president, Igor Surkis, quoted by Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

Some 17,000 fans are expected to attend the game at Kiev stadium, although the club has purchased 20,000 masks, he said.

Surkis stressed that none of Dynamo Kiev's players or staff has been infected with the H1N1 flu.

"As happens every year, we have vaccinated people against the flu," he said. "I hope we're going to see a full stadium."

Inter will be without Ghanaian central midfielder Sulley Muntari, Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder or Brazilian midfielder Tiago Motta - all of whom are injured.