France are the hosts for the next edition of UEFA Euro, which is to be held next year, but two major terrorists attacks within the span of a year have raised serious questions about the security ahead of this major quadrennial event.
The French capital bared the brunt of a second major terrorist attack while France hosted Germany in an international friendly, with more than 140 people reportedly dead from the attack that occurred on Friday.
The Euros, which will span around a month, will be played across 10 venues that include two stadiums in Paris that includes the Stade de France, which was among the seven venues where the terrorists had broken loose.
French Football Federation president determined to go ahead
The question of security had been a major concern for the authorities since the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January, but Fridaya s attack seems to have brought it to the forefront as French Football Federation president Noel Le Graet was forced to acknowledge the concerns ahead of the event, but was pretty determined about being able to host it without any major hiccups.
Le Graet was quoted as saying to the French sports newspaper La Equipe(via The Telegraph . )
“For the Euros, there was already a big worry.
a Today it’s obviously even stronger.”
Euros at a a Tangible Riska
Paris had come to a standstill in January, after terrorists had killed 17 people at the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. And the Euro 2016 organising committee president Jacques Lambert, after Friday’s attacks, was forced to acknowledge the security concerns, saying that the event was indeed at a “tangible risk”.
“What the events in January have changed is that a theoretical risk has become a tangible risk, palpable, since it was carried through.
“It doesn’t probably change much for the security professionals regarding preparations of the event. But you see that for everyone, public opinion, media, teams, it adds a special intensity.”
The two major attacks in Paris within a year have raised serious questions about hosting such a grand event, with players having already started voicing their concerns about safety. But that shouldna t stop France from hosting the Euros successfully, and the UEFA who expressed their solidarity, also want to continue in the spirit of the game. They must also be aware that the terrorists, who look to garner notoriety by spreading fear across the world, will consider it as a victory if France are stripped of its hosting rights.