|
|
|
T +33(0)388412560 www.coe.int [email protected] |
|
Ref. DC 099(2016) Security and safety in stadiums: Council of Europe launches a new convention Strasbourg, 06.06.2016 – In the run-up to the EURO 2016 football tournament, the Council of Europe is kicking off a new international convention aimed at ensuring that football matches and other sports events take place in a secure, safe environment where everyone feels welcome. The convention, which the governments are invited to sign on 3 July at the Stade de France (Saint-Denis, France), at the last of the tournament’s quarter-finals, encourages effective cooperation between all those involved at local, national and international levels. “Sport plays an important role in promoting social integration, tolerance and intercultural understanding. Sports events should be carried out in this spirit and, above all, events should be safe. The new Council of Europe Convention shows the way,” said the Council of Europe Secretary General, Thorbjørn Jagland. “France is particularly keen to develop a policy for preventing violence in stadia and making fans more responsible, in a spirit of mutual exchange and goodwill. We are especially honoured to host this signature,” declared Thierry Braillard, the French Secretary of State for Sport. To guarantee a welcoming atmosphere inside and outside stadiums, the Convention commits signatory States’ authorities to: - encourage public agencies and private stakeholders (local authorities, police, football clubs and national federations, and supporters) to work together in the preparation and running of football matches; - ensure that stadium infrastructure complies with national and international standards and regulations, for effective crowd management and safety; emergency and contingency plans must be drawn up, tested and refined in the course of regular joint exercises; - ensure that spectators feel welcome and well-treated throughout events, including by making stadiums more accessible to children, the elderly and people with disabilities and improving sanitary and refreshment facilities. A number of measures are also envisaged to prevent and punish acts of violence and misbehaviour, including stadium bans, sanctions procedures in the country where the offence is committed or in the offender’s country of residence or citizenship, or restrictions on travelling abroad to football events. States signing up to the Convention undertake to step up international police co-operation by designating a national football information point within the police force (NFIP) to facilitate exchanges of information and personal data in connection with international football matches. Context: · This new convention will ultimately replace the European Convention on Spectator Violence and Misbehaviour at Sport Events and in particular at Football Matches, drawn up in 1985 in the wake of the Heysel tragedy. · The committee of experts tasked with monitoring application of the 1985 Convention produce assessments, before and after major international tournaments (World Cup, European Championships), of the safety measures taken. FIFA, UEFA, the European Professional Football Leagues Association, Football Supporters Europe, Supporters Direct Europe and also Interpol and the European Union participate in its work. · In 2015, the committee adopted a Recommendation on Safety, Security and Service at Football Matches and other Sports Events. This recommendation draws together good practices in European countries in order to help the States implement the Convention’s provisions. Contact : Estelle Steiner, Spokesperson/Press officer, Tel. +33 3 88 41 33 35 |
