Safety is UEFA chairman Ceferin’s biggest concern at the European Football Championship in Germany: “The world is getting crazier”

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Aleksander Ceferin, the president of the European football confederation UEFA, calls safety “his biggest concern” at next summer’s European Football Championship in Germany.

“The world is getting crazier. In these times, when the geostrategic world is increasingly going crazy, the biggest concern is security,” he said in an interview with the British newspaper The Telegraph. The 56-year-old Slovenian refers to armed conflicts such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the escalating Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In both cases, members of UEFA are involved parties.

Ceferin has already sat down twice with German Interior Minister Nancy Faser, who is also responsible for sport, and the two will meet again soon in the context of what the UEFA boss calls “a completely aggressive geopolitical situation.” is called. “My fear is not just the stadiums. Because the stadiums, I am sure, will be properly secured. But there will be fans walking around in the cities and towns.”

Major tournaments have traditionally always been susceptible to threats from terrorists or activists. But a qualification of Ukraine or Israel for the European Championship during the play-offs in March could give an extra dimension to that threat, Ceferin acknowledges. Nevertheless, the UEFA president has confidence in a normal course of events. “Let us be optimistic. I still think that everything will be fine with the support of the German government, which is keen to assist us.”

The first ball of the European Championship will roll on June 14 in Munich. The final in Berlin follows exactly one month later. The Red Devils will play against Slovakia, Romania and a team from the jump-offs (possibly Ukraine) in the group stage.

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