Those responsible for the Football Association (FA, in its acronym in English) of England have conspired so that London recovers, with the celebration this Saturday of the Champions League final that will face Real Madrid against Borussia Dortmund, the prestige which he lost almost three years ago. More than 2,500 attendees have been prepared to cover all areas of the Wembley stadium, access with reinforced security and many hours prior to entering the field so that everything flows as smoothly as possible.
As sad as it may be, those responsible for the security of the legendary stadium breathed a sigh of relief on July 11, 2021 when England lost the Euro Cup final against Italy. More than 6,000 hooligans, many of them drunk and in a high state of excitement, waited outside, ready to skip security checks to access the field and celebrate the victory of their team. The day could have ended in tragedy, after all the disturbances already occurred when more than 2,000 fans managed to sneak in without paying, amidst scenes of great violence.
“We have reinforced all the access doors, because in the Euro Cup final people tried to break them down. They will now remain closed with a magnetic padlock system, and we have added an extra lock to each stadium door,” Chris Bryant, FA Director of Tournaments and Events, explained this week.
The association has invested almost six million euros in reinforcing the stadium’s security infrastructure, so that scenes like those at the Euro Cup do not occur again. The emotion experienced throughout England with a team that was exemplary in its play and attitude – both the national coach and the players – which more than half a century later reached the final again, was marred by the behavior of thousands of vandals drunk, euphoric and violent. “Our team, made up of exemplary personalities, had reached its first grand final in 55 years. However, they ended up being let down by a horde of drunk and drugged thugs, without tickets, who decided to abuse disabled, innocent and vulnerable people, as well as police officers, volunteers and staff at Wembley,” wrote Louise Casey, the person in charge of directing the independent investigative commission that reviewed everything that happened. Many of those who managed to force their way into the stadium used accesses intended for disabled people.
Euro 2020, which was played a year later due to the pandemic, had a ticking time bomb in the final. To maintain the social distance imposed during confinement, 25,000 of the 90,000 seats at Wembley were left empty. Many of the fans who were left outside, without a ticket, knew that there were all those vacant seats. The pandemic was also the reason that the number of attendees for that final was much smaller than would have been necessary.
Rains, it pours
The Champions League finals in Paris (2022) and Istanbul (2023) also bordered on disaster, with serious organizational failures and scenes of violence. UEFA knows that the London final is almost a last chance to redeem itself. “We want this event to be a success, for many reasons. For the fans, for the city, and because we know that many people keep Euro 2020 in their memories. We have been planning Saturday’s final for 18 months,” Bryant said.
The organizers have installed the so-called “Zone X” in the stadium, a control room from which any movement in the outer areas of Wembley will be monitored. Many of the attendees will have built-in security cameras.
Fans must go through a double security check – the first, without having to show the ticket – to be able to access the stadium. The doors will open four hours before the game starts, not the usual two, so that the stands fill in a fluid and controlled manner.
The organizers have prepared two spaces in the city for fans. Borussia Dortmund fans will be able to gather in Hyde Park, where there will be an area set up for 20,000 people. Real Madrid’s team will have a similar area on Victoria Embankment, the esplanade on the north bank of the Thames. It is very likely that, if thousands of those arriving in the city do not have a ticket, giant screens will be installed in both venues so that they can watch the match and not try to go to Wembley.
“Between us (the FA) and UEFA, we have fully taken on board the lessons from both London and Paris in preparing for this event. That’s clear. And we have incorporated them into both the planning and the strategy for next Saturday,” Bryant said this week.
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