Some of Azerbaijan's leading clubs are threatening to stop their players from joining the national squad.

And to confuse matters further, reports in Azerbaijan claim that the match venue could be switched because of a financial dispute.

Wales' own preparations for the crucial match were also rocked on Thursday.

Newcastle manager Bobby Robson said he does not want his star striker Craig Bellamy to play, and there are fitness concerns over Cardiff's Danny Gabbidon.

The Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA) is reportedly being asked for an "astronomical" fee for the lease of the national stadium.

Some 30,000 tickets are expected to be sold for the match, and several hundred Welsh fans are expected to make the journey to the capital Baku.

But the AFFA say the match will have to be switched to a stadium with only a 7,500 capacity if the asking price is not lowered.

In a letter to the ministry of sport, AFFA secretary general Cingiz Ismayilov says: "The stadium administration has asked for the highest lease payment in history - 63 million manats (around �9,500).

"This is 10 times higher than the sum we paid for previous official games in the stadium, and two and a half times more than the sum paid for the Azerbaijan-Italy match.

"Even the young footballers standing by the pitch are not being provided this time."

Breakaway clubs

He added: "This issue must be resolved without delay. Otherwise, AFFA will have to hold the game in the Safa Stadium.

"It is also worthy of note that the sale of tickets has already started.

"As is known, the Safa Stadium is not as spacious and cannot accommodate all the football fans interested in seeing the game."

A spokesperson at the Football Association of Wales said they were unaware of the problems and will investigating the issue on Friday morning.

Azerbaijan football has been in a state of chaos for some time.

The national league collapsed in April after some of the leading clubs refused to recognise the governance of the national association.

As a consequence, only a third - eight out of 24 - of the Azerbaijan squad to face Wales next month have played competitive football this season.

The AFFA and the Azerbaijan Ministry of Sport are battling for control of the game and it will be at least a month until the domestic league starts again.

The breakaway clubs have accused the AFFA of corrupting the game and its president Fuad Musayev of fuelling internal squabbles.