Euro 2016: Security lockdown, but fears over bars and fan zones

Euro 2016, which kicks off tonight at the Stade de France in Paris, poses a huge challenge for French security services badly exposed by last November's terror attacks which killed 130 people.

As if to underline the threat, the French newspaper Liberation reported recently that a suspect had told Belgian investigators that the cell behind the Paris attacks was targeting the tournament. To make matters worse, security at last month's French cup final – seen as a dry run for Euro 2016 – was shambolic, with a near-stampede outside the Stade de France, and smoke bombs and bottles being smuggled into the stadium, says the Daily Telegraph.

It means that France, under a state of emergency for the past seven months, appears to be moving towards a security lockdown. The Guardian says 90,000 staff will be on patrol at the tournament, with armed police and army personnel already stepping up their presence in Paris.

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That number includes 13,000 private security guards, who will mainly be based in fan zones located in the ten cities where matches are to be played. Safety measures at these venues – free, open-air areas equipped with big screens – are likely to be as rigorous as at the football stadiums themselves.

Caroline Pozmentier, who has responsibility for public safety in Marseille during the tournament, told the La Marseillaise website that the main challenges would be to get supporters to the city's fan zone (which is on the beach) in time, to ensure all fans were searched and to prevent any dangerous crowd movements.

The Paris fan zone, located under the Eiffel Tower, has become a focus for concern and protest, according to France 24. It can hold more than 90,000 fans, but critics say such a concentration of people presents terrorists with a soft target – particularly at a time when street protests against proposed new French labour laws have meant security forces are stretched exceptionally thin.

One Frenchman interviewed by France 24 predicted the fan zone in the French capital would act like a magnet for trouble. Another asked: "How can you check everything?" Meanwhile police union spokesman Nicolas Comte said he had no idea how his members would cope in the event of a "nightmare scenario" involving street protests, the start of the tournament and a terrorist attack.

As if to reinforce the downbeat mood ahead of Friday's opening match, English-language French news website The Local has published an A-Z guide of what to expect in France during the tournament, including alcohol bans, bag checks in shopping malls, and heavily armed soldiers on the streets.

And in case you were planning to hop across the Channel and watch the football over a glass of pastis on a TV outside your local bistro, think again. On Thursday Sports Minister Thierry Braillard announced that bars and cafes would not be allowed to show the football on outdoor screens. "The forces of order don't have the means to ensure that they're secure," he explained. Le Figaro reported the decision with the headline ‘Government shambles' after another minister subsequently attempted to qualify the ban.