UEFA details new cup final security plans after Paris chaos

GENEVA: After UEFA was widely blamed for security failures at the chaotic and life-threatening Champions League final last year, it published action plans on Friday for future cup finals. The move was demanded in February by UEFA-appointed investigators of the 2022 final in Paris. UEFA said it created a “senior level incident control group” to oversee its highest profile games, will have more of its own security staff at stadiums, and will issue only digital tickets to fans instead of paper ones.

UEFA also pledged to “actively engage” with host city police commanders and improve communication with local organizing officials and the finalist teams, including fan groups. “Dedicated UEFA supporter liaison officers” will be appointed for finals. Crowd modelling assessments are also being ordered by UEFA for its four club competitions finals due to be staged in the next five weeks at Istanbul, Budapest, Prague and Eindhoven.

The Champions League final is on June 10 at Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul. UEFA was given a deadline of next Monday to update plans for managing cup finals by an investigation team which published a damning 220-page report in February into the chaos at Stade de France last May before and after Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Liverpool. The biggest club game in world soccer almost became a “mass fatality catastrophe,” the investigation panel wrote, concluding, “It is remarkable that no one lost their life.” Police in Paris used tear gas on fans who were stuck in congested, slow-moving queues for hours before the game, which was eventually delayed by about 40 minutes.