ICSS Statement on EURO 2016 violence

The International Centre for Sport Security has released the following statement in relation to the incidents of violence in France during the UEFA European Football Championships:

The International Centre for Sport Security condemns the violent behaviour of fans in Marseille.

The personal safety of players, fans and all visitors is absolutely of paramount importance.

Spectators located in the Russian supporter areas were able to overcome barriers and access the English supporters’ section. This demonstrates that preventative measures in place to segregate the fans were inadequate. It appears there was a breakdown in general structure, response and crowd management.

As a matter of process, an urgent review of the operating procedures for crowd management and spectator segregation is required to ensure that best practice operations, including those from previous tournaments, are in place.

Security officials will need to constantly review their match security profiles and threat and risk assessments on a daily basis for each match and host city.

At the ICSS, we understand the complex and substantial effort that goes into the planning and securing of a major event including beyond the venues. We appreciate it is impossible to guarantee 100% security. However, risks can be minimized as low as reasonably practicable.

This is only possible with significant amount of planning and coordination between the organiser, regional, national and international authorities, with each contributing their expertise. Governments, law enforcement agencies, intelligence, private security and police should all be involved to bring together international experiences to develop security concepts and test operational plans.

The ICSS commends UEFA for conducting a full investigation.