Banning high-risk fans from leaving the country if necessary
Switzerland and the Council of Europe want to strengthen security and hazard prevention at sporting events such as football matches. The aim is to develop a common approach based on best international practices, he said. Therefore, the Federal Council has approved the revision of the European Convention on Spectator Violence and Rioting at Sports Events.
During the 1985 European Cup final between Liverpool FC and Juventus Turin at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, mass panic broke out among the spectators. The panic was triggered by hooligans. At that time, 39 people died; 600 were injured. In the wake of this tragedy, 42 countries, including Switzerland, signed the European Convention on Spectator Violence and Rioting at Sports Events, in particular Football Matches.
Switzerland can already prohibit exit
The revision of the Convention aims at a common and multi-faceted approach: To provide good hospitality inside and outside stadiums to spectators who simply want to see a good game, and to better prevent dangerous behavior by certain individuals. In addition, the signatory states are to be obliged to make it possible to prohibit high-risk fans who want to attend a sporting event taking place abroad from leaving the country. In Switzerland, this is already possible today, as the Federal Council writes.
Important for cooperation
The revision of the convention will not affect existing Swiss law. The revision is important because it harmonizes cooperation among the 42 member states so that they all work on the same basis, the Federal Council writes. Thanks to the revision, it would be possible, for example, to organize the National Football Information Points (NFIPs) of the 42 member states in a uniform manner. In Switzerland, the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) is responsible for this task. The NFIP is a coordination tool that ensures contact between all Swiss partners (cantonal police corps, sports associations, football clubs) and abroad. If the NFIP are institutionalized in all member states, the states can exchange information even more easily and cooperate even more closely with each other, as the Federal Council further writes.
Bern approves the revision of this European Convention, which is to be signed by the Federal Department of Justice and Police in July. A consultation draft will then be prepared so that a corresponding dispatch can be drafted by the end of 2017.
Fedpol delegation in Paris
The Fedpol will be present at the 2016 European Football Championship in France. An eight-member police delegation will be present on site. It consists of hooliganism experts from the Fedpol and the cantonal police corps. The team will follow the matches of the Swiss national team and will be active in France as long as the team is able to qualify for the next round. The presence of the police team in the stadiums and fan zones is intended to ensure an active dialogue with Swiss football fans. The mobile team is subordinate to the French police, who also decide on the deployment details.
In the current geopolitical context - terrorism is a real threat - Euro 2016 will take place under strict security measures. The French police are responsible for security issues related to terrorism; however, the team that has traveled from Switzerland also has the task of informing fans about special security measures that the French authorities can take, according to further reports.
For more information on the revision of the European Convention and the measures taken on the occasion of the European Football Championship: www.fedpol.admin.ch
