Security increased at Champions League ties after threat

(FILES) Police officers stand in front of the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on March 10, 2020, on the eve of the UEFA Champions League Group A football match between Paris Saint-Germain and Dortmund. . (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)

Security will be reinforced at Champions League quarter-final matches on Tuesday and Wednesday after a communication outlet supporting the Islamic State group published threats against stadiums.

European football’s governing body UEFA said all four games in Paris, Madrid and London would go ahead despite the jihadist threat.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said security would be “considerably reinforced” when Paris Saint-Germain take on Barcelona in the first leg at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.

Darmanin said there had been “a clear threat publicly expressed by the Islamic State”.

“The police, whom I spoke to very early this morning, have considerably reinforced the security measures,” the minister told reporters.

PSG coach Luis Enrique said in his pre-match news conference: “I hope it is a thing we can control and that they are just threats and that nothing will happen.”

A French source close to the issue told AFP: “IS has threatened the Champions League quarter-finals, not specifically in France, through one of its communication outlets.”

Two games are taking place this week in Madrid — Real Madrid host Manchester City on Tuesday, while Atletico Madrid face Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.

Pilar Alegria, speaking for the Spanish government, said more than 2,000 police would be deployed “to guarantee total security”.

“We are going to have an exceptional deployment of security services, in line with the level of alert set out by the intelligence services,” Francisco Martin Aguirre, the