The ‘final four’ that takes place this weekend in Berlin, the capital of Germany, is a good dress rehearsal for the Euro Cup that will start on Friday, June 14 and will last until Sunday, July 14. However, the forecasts of the German authorities overflowed in the run-up to the first semi-final in which Panathinaikos beat Fenerbahce (73-57). With just a few minutes left before the start of the game, the stands of the Uber Arena were deserted waiting to clear the traffic jam that had been generated at the entrance.
A courtship of 6,000 Fenerbahce fans
The match was delayed 25 minutes, forcing the second semi-final to be rescheduled, in which Real Madrid beat Olympiacos (87-76) in a match that started a quarter of an hour later than scheduled. The day had been heating up hours before the duel, especially in Kreuzberg, the Turkish neighborhood of Berlin.where the large Turkish colony that supported Fenerbahce had gathered.
A procession of 6,000 Turkish fans to the stadium – with 17,000 seats – was planned, but it arrived mired in incidents. What’s more, the German police, who were in charge of decreeing the start of the match, above FIBA, arrested dozens of Fenerbahce fans in a performance that caused chaos of running and shouting around the Uber Arena. As if the tension were not enough, Panathinaikos is trained by Ergin Ataman, also a Turk, who was insulted by his compatriots upon his arrival at the concentration hotel.
Echoes of the Champions League final in Paris
The images of people trying to enter the pavilion spread like wildfire as a complaint on social networks. They were similar to those experienced in the Champions League final in Paris two years ago. Like here, there were people without a ticket who tried to sneak in. Some managed to do it and this caused incidents in the stands of the Uber Arena even during the match itself, although they did not force to cut its development. Of course, a column of riot police was placed in front of the stands at the end of each match to prevent a pitch invasion.
While the blockade on the outskirts of the court was maintained, inside the FIBA organization tried to fill the gap by giving space to exceptional guests such as Scottie Pippen. Michael Jordan’s teammate in the Chicago Bulls, who is on vacation in Europe, left one of the anecdotes of the day when he assured that “I didn’t know “any of the four teams that are in the ‘final four’ in Berlin”.
All participants will collaborate in the Euro Cup device
As stated by former German player Philipp Lahm, president of the Euro 2024 organizing committee, security is the main concern of the German promoters.. They aim to ensure the protection of the 2.7 million spectators expected for the tournamentas well as the base camps of the 24 teams spread throughout the country, as well as the ten stadiums among which is the Olympiastadion in Berlin, venue of the tournament final.
Germany will debut an unprecedented special device: all the nations participating in the tournament will send experts – more than 300 in total – who will meet at an international police cooperation center. Their task, together with the German authorities, Europol and UEFA, will be to monitor and coordinate all security measures from an immense 500 square meter room. Between 800 and 1,300 law enforcement officers will be deployed around the tournament’s ten stadiums.
2024-05-25 08:42:19
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