A senior European football official has warned that an ongoing terror threat could disrupt the upcoming UEFA Euro 2016 competition — even forcing matches to be played behind closed doors.
Speaking in the wake of Tuesday’s deadly attacks in Brussels, UEFA Vice-President Giancarlo Abete told an Italian radio station that football authorities “can’t exclude the possibility of playing behind closed doors as we cannot exclude terrorism.”
The attacks come with the memory of November’s attack in Paris still fresh in many people’s minds. Those attacks caused one death and several injuries outside the Stade de France during a France-Germany match, among other targets.
The Stade de France is the venue for the final of the quadrennial tournament and is scheduled for July 10.
Sporting events have previously been targets for terrorists. In April 2013 two bombs exploded on a crowded street near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring more than 140 others.
Committed to safety
Prior to Abete’s comments, European football’s governing body released a statement, subsequently tweeted by a BBC journalist, reaffirming its “commitment in placing safety and security at the center of its organizational plans for Euro 2016.”
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, speaking at a press conference, said the events of Tuesday were “a tragic reminder of the high level of threat facing France and its European partners.”
He added that France’s position is to “not give into terrorism but to make sure (Euro 2016) can take place.”
Tuesday’s terror attacks, which have been claimed by ISIS, come ahead of a weekend of international friendly matches. The Belgian national team, due to play Portugal at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels next week, has canceled training Wednesday.