Additional security added for France vs Denmark match at Stade de France

By Shweta Desai

PARIS (AA) - A week after France was lambasted for the horrific mismanagement at the Stade de France during the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid, authorities are hoping to avoid a similar debacle for the UEFA Nations League match between France and Denmark on Friday.

The Paris police announced it will deploy additional personnel to maintain public order and put in place an anti-crime system to ensure a smooth procession of the nearly 77,000 spectators at the Stade de France, including a small number of Danish spectators.

Around 2,080 police officers and gendarmes will be part of this security system. Nearly 656 police personnel in civilian clothes will be in charge of identifying miscreants in and around the Stade de France, on the outskirts, and around railway stations to fight against any form of crime.

Like last weekend, during the Champions League final, the city’s railway operator RATP will be on strike, disrupting the frequency of the trains.

The police, in a statement, said a specific flow regulation system has been set up at the three stations serving the stadium (RER B La Plaine - Stade de France, RER D Stade de France – Saint-Denis, metro line 13 Saint-Denis Porte de Paris station), to streamline and secure their movement.

Tickets will be screened at different access points around the stadium to prevent crowd commotion.

The Champions League finals saw massive crowds of supporters disrupting access and breaking the security cordon to enter the stadium.

The French police, along with the sports and interior ministry, held that between 30-000 to 40,000 supporters without tickets or holding counterfeit tickets barged the stadium. The match was delayed by 35 minutes as police sprayed tear gas and official ticket holders were stuck in queues for hours.