Germany is strengthening security measures before the start of the European Cup “Euro 2024”, as the police consider England’s match against Serbia “the most dangerous in the tournament.”
Monitoring the European Championship poses a complex security challenge, because it is not only about maintaining the safety of 2.7 million fans in the ten stadiums where the matches are held, but there are also about 12 million in fan zones across the country.
The tournament will be held over the course of a month, from June 14 to July 14.
Germany is tightening its procedures in Gelsenkirchen, where the match will be held on Sunday, and organizers will be keen to serve drinks that contain a lower percentage of alcohol, without allowing fans to drink in the stands.
UEFA has requested the removal of barriers between Serbian and English fans, as both sides will be seated close to each other, with two-thirds of tickets going to mixed zones, increasing the challenge for the police.
“I think it’s a very high-stakes match because of the history, because of the hooligans on both sides,” EU chief inspector Christoph Burghardt told Sky News.
He added: “Serbia has many hooligans. The English, with alcohol, are very aggressive sometimes. So it is a big task to do this, hoping that nothing will happen.”
More than 300,000 British fans are expected to travel to Germany to attend the tournament, making it the highest attendance since Euro 2016 in France.
The British police will exchange intelligence information with their German counterparts and will send the largest number of officers since 2016.
“We currently have almost 2,000 people who are under a ban order, which basically means they can’t travel to tournaments and they can’t get into football stadiums,” explains Colette Rose of UK Football Police.
Fans who violate German public order laws have been warned of immediate fines.
German Interior Minister Nancy Weiser said that everything was being done to ensure the safety of the event, adding: “You cannot guarantee 100 percent security, but we are well prepared and remain very vigilant.”
About 22,000 federal police officers will be on duty every day of the tournament, and security will be strengthened at borders and train stations with the support of officers from other countries and 16,000 volunteers.
German police director Frank Haring said: “In my opinion, the risk (in this tournament) is definitely higher. Given the current political events in Ukraine and Russia and the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, terrorist groups could use events such as the European Championship to launch an attack.”
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