UEFA, football’s European governing body, has introduced several measures to enhance existing safeguards for fans attending its competition finals following recommendations published by an independent review of the events at last season’s Champions League final at the Stade de France.
The measures concern standard operating procedures, host bidding requirements and internal compliance mechanisms to ensure that Uefa finals provide a “safe, secure and welcoming environment” for all fans at its club and national team competition finals. Plans include making stadiums more accessible to children, older people and people with disabilities.
In February, UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis issued an apology to Liverpool supporters after an independent review into last year’s Champions League final against Real Madrid found that the governing body was primarily to blame for failures which “almost led to disaster”.
Kick-off for the final, which Madrid won 1-0, was delayed by more than half an hour as thousands of fans remained outside of the Stade de France, with some supporters queuing for more than two hours. Videos also circulated on social media showed police using pepper spray and tear gas as supporters tried to scan their tickets at the turnstiles.
In March, UEFA announced that it would be implementing a special refund scheme for Liverpool fans affected by the events in the lead-up to the game. The scheme covered all of Liverpool’s 19,618 ticket allocation for the final.
UEFA has now drawn on the recommendations of the independent panel and the findings of an internal working group, established immediately after the final, to implement measures at upcoming finals. UEFA has also spoken to fan groups, primarily through Football Supporters Europe (FSE), to further involve fans in the planning and execution of finals.
Representatives from FSE, which signed a Memorandum of Understanding with UEFA in January, have taken part in preparatory site visits to host venues, contributing expertise and making recommendations to ensure that the perspective of supporters is taken into consideration.
FSE representatives will also be involved in all finals, reporting on the fans’ journey throughout each event, while dedicated UEFA supporter liaison officers and disability access officers will now be appointed for each final to help clubs communicate and coordinate arrangements for fans.
Further resources will be made available to fans on-site, particularly across the ‘last kilometre’ routes leading up to the stadium. UEFA has also increased the number of safety and security officers covering the finals, while future bid documents will require every UEFA final host to commit to the philosophy of the ‘Saint Denis Convention’ on integrated safety, security and service at football matches, which was signed during UEFA Euro 2016 in France.
Theodoridis said: “At UEFA, we are fully committed to ensuring that every football fan can enjoy their team’s appearance in a UEFA final in a safe, secure, and welcoming environment.
“We have developed and implemented comprehensive operational measures which incorporate the recommendations of the independent review panel and the valuable input of fan groups to enhance safety and security at our club and national team competition finals.
“By implementing the best practices outlined in our action plan and further engaging with fan groups, we are committed to ensuring that everyone can enjoy our events in a safe, inclusive and enjoyable atmosphere. We value their cooperation and will continue to work together to ensure that every supporter is heard, included and respected.”
Ronain Evain, executive director of FSE, added: “We commend UEFA on the commitment to implement the recommendations of the independent review and other operational changes to consolidate the level of safety, security and service offered to all fans at UEFA finals.
“We have experienced first-hand the increased level of supporter engagement over the last year and welcome the strengthened approach to the integration of supporters’ perspectives in the preparation of the finals. FSE will continue to advocate on behalf of fans to ensure that the areas of best practice outlined in the action plan are also taken on board by clubs and implemented throughout the season.”
In other news, UEFA has signed an agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA).
The deal marks the ESA’s first with a sports organisation and will enable UEFA to benefit from the agency’s network and expertise to address key challenges and generate new opportunities in football through innovative solutions. The agreement has been signed as part of the UEFA Innovation Hub’s mission to foster cross-industrial collaborations with a range of stakeholders.
ESA will bring its expertise to support the enhancement of UEFA’s AI pitch detection tool, which is based on data and satellite imagery. ESA will also work with UEFA to run an open call for technologies on crowd management solutions.
