Security concerns the biggest headache for Euro organisers

Paris:With Saturday's draw for Euro 2016 coming a month after the Paris terrorist attacks the issue of security has taken on even greater importance among organisers of the third biggest sporting event in the world.

The coaches of the 24 nations who have qualified for next year's finals in France will descend on Paris along with Europe's media to attend the event that marks the final countdown to the European Championship.

With seven million visitors expected during the finals themselves which run from June 10 to July 10 the spectre of the events of Friday November 13 -- when 130 people were killed and many more injured in multiple attacks including suicide bombings outside the Stade de France during France's friendly against Germany -- have ensured that guaranteeing security has to be the number one priority for the host nation.

"The terrorist threat has been considered as maximum ever since the bid to host the finals was submitted" the head of the competition's organising committee Jacques Lambert told AFP a day after the Paris attacks which themselves followed a series of attacks in the capital in January.

"Since these attacks all we have done is re-evaluate. We have gone from a theoretical risk to a palpable risk. That reinforces the need to be more vigilant and more rigorous."

And that goes for everyone from the state itself to host cities and the organising committee.

But with UEFA only looking after the costs of security within stadiums at training grounds and at official team hotels one of the biggest concerns is the cost for the host cities themselves of which there are 10 -- Lille Lens Lyon Saint-Etienne Bordeaux Toulouse Nice Marseille Paris and Saint-Denis.

- Fan zone fears -

Authorities in Toulouse and Saint-Etienne have expressed doubts as to their ability to maintain the special fan zones which have become features of major sporting events in recent years.

Major cities like Paris and Marseille have confirmed that they will go ahead with the fan zones where huge numbers of supporters will be able to gather and watch games on big screens but the cost of securing them is a worry to others.

The idea of abandoning fan zones altogether had been floated but France's Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve ensured late last month that he would try to maintain them providing certain conditions could be met including increasing CCTV and body searches employing more security staff and tightening background checks into them.

Cazeneuve admitted that a study into just how much these measures will cost should begin in January. But the cost of employing up to 1000 extra security agents and finding them in the first place is perhaps the crucial point.

"The ability of private security firms to respond to demand will determine the dimension of fan zones" said Alain Juppe the mayor of Bordeaux and also president of the Host Cities' Club.

Aside from terrorism concerns UEFA will also wait for Saturday's draw to determine which matches present a risk in terms of incidents between rival fans.

Among the potential dangers is that Russia and Turkey are drawn in the same group -- diplomatic relations between the two are tense after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet last month.

"The measures are never the same from one game to another" explained Lambert.

"After the draw we will evaluate each match both via exchanges with the French security services and with the police of the relevant countries. That will determine the risk of each match and therefore the security measures taken."

Hooliganism flared when France hosted the 1998 World Cup with violent incidents between fans before England played Tunisia in Marseille but Lambert added that it is not the main worry now.

"Honestly nowadays the risk from hooliganism is very much secondary to that of terrorism. We are not neglecting it but it is not our biggest fear."

AFP