It will be a great event, but unfortunately, where football is at the highest level, there is too often racism. This time, however, the players can count on the support of the police.
In the final of the previous Euro, three English players missed penalties, so the Italians became European champions. Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho went through hell after the match. Young footballers and their families received threats, and social media was full of racist insults against them.
– What happened after the Euro final was disgusting, it was downright abuse of black players. That's why we have a special investigation team on standby. We also decided to talk to the players to explain to them what they can do to protect themselves and how to proceed, emphasizes Mark Roberts, head of the special football unit in the British police.
British police warn that there will be no tolerance for racism, including online racism. Until recently, the resistance of social networking site administrators meant that it took the police up to half a year to find the authors of racist comments online. Now it's just a matter of a few days.
– We take this seriously. We treat online racism as a crime committed in the real world. We are pursuing more and more people for this. We are getting more and more support from the companies behind social media. Before you do something so stupid, imagine what awaits you in a few months, when you will be arrested, charged, you will enter the courthouse and all the cameras will be focused on you. This has real consequences – people are thrown out of universities for racism – points out Roberts.
This year's European Football Championship will be held in Germany. About 300,000 fans can come to the event from Great Britain alone. The police warn them against using prohibited symbols.
Concerns about terrorist attacks
A few years ago, when England faced Germany in Dortmund, the visiting fans tried to insult the locals by shouting and calling them Nazis. This behavior was condemned by the English Football Federation, and according to the German police, it was an act bordering on the law.
– It is difficult to clearly define what is acceptable and what is not, it always depends on the circumstances. Of course, Germany has strict rules set out in the Criminal Code. Everyone should learn more about the historical situation in Germany, suggests Oliver Strudthoff from the Center for International Cooperation of the German Police.
Euro 2024 will start on June 14 in Munich. The final will be played in Berlin on July 14. Organizers traditionally fear riots involving hooligans. In recent weeks, there has also been a lot of talk about the potential threat of terrorist attacks, especially after reports that the so-called Islamic State is targeting Champions League football matches. The German police calm down: as of today, there is no intelligence information about planned attacks.
– This is one of many threats, but at the moment there is no clear warning for the German tournament. This is just one of the scenarios we have to take into account, assures Strudthoff.
One such scenario is the Kremlin's hostile actions. After Russian troops entered Ukraine, the Russian national team was excluded from international competitions, so sabotaging the Euro would benefit Putin. According to German authorities, the Kremlin may be planning attacks on German critical infrastructure and even silently supporting terrorists. During the Euro, the Ukrainian national team will receive special, enhanced protection.
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Main photo source: Reuters