Uefa issued a statement on Tuesday night in which it sought to downplay fears that Euro 16 would be a tournament without fans, insisting that “safety and security” were at the centre of its organisational plans for Euro 2016.
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Some Euro 2016 games could be played without spectators, according to UEFA vice-president Giancarlo Abete.
“We can’t exclude the possibility of playing behind closed doors as we cannot exclude terrorism”.
Abete told Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper that “today there is no structural situation that means we are thinking of disputing the Euro behind closed doors”.
Tuesday’s terror attacks in Brussels have raised the possibility that this summer’s European Football Championships in France could be played behind closed doors.
Football is an obvious terrorist attack and France’s Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve has reiterated the importance of security ahead of this summer’s Euro finals.
“For over three years, Euro 2016 has been working closely with the relevant authorities to develop the most appropriate mechanisms in order to guarantee a secure tournament and necessary measures are being taken to ensure that is the case for everyone involved”, it read.
Asked in a call-in programme on Europe 1 radio station whether it was wise to maintain the event, given the level of threat of there being another terrorist attack, Valls said not to do so would be “a victory for terrorists”.
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Belgium’s national squad cancelled their training session yesterday and their friendly against Portugal in Brussels next week is in serious doubt.
