Kevin Whitcher
Today doesn’t feel like a day to post anything about the relative trivia of sport, which ultimately, is a form of entertainment. In different ways, in spite of that, we have seen numerous unnecessary and avoidable tragedies in football stadiums. The attempted attack at Stade de France back in the late autumn of 2015 saw measures introduced at the Emirates and other grounds that involved searches for more than just the cans, bottles and knives of the past. Supporters regularly turn up with minutes to go before kick off and with the current measures, many do not get into their seats until well after the game has already started.
One thing that does happen while the game is in progress is that the initial security cordon some distance from the turnstiles remains in place, on the footprint of what is Arsenal’s property. So people cannot approach the stadium without the need for a search of their bags (and presumably body searches where there is any suspicion). Additionally, in the final minutes of the game, exit doors are opened, but manned to prevent anyone entering the stadium. What seems to have happened at the Manchester Arena last night is that people were able to enter the main foyer of the venue. The vast majority of the people who did this would have been parents waiting to collect children who had attended the concert. So a suicide bomber was able to access the area without being challenged. No doubt this will change, but it is reassuring to know that a similar incident would not be so easy to achieve at the exits of the Emirates.
Having said that, it isn’t difficult to work out there are other areas on matchday where large crowds of people gather where we are all vulnerable. Even though the current security arrangements have avoided any incident at a match in England, it is inevitable they will be stepped up. I’d planned to enter Wembley Stadium approximately 45 minutes before the final next Saturday. Now, I think I’ll aim to be there half an hour earlier. I can foresee next season the searches at the Emirates will be even more thorough.
I attended ten matches at Euro2016. The security searches there were intense, the occasional individual body and bag searcher even way over the top, although some fans managed to get flares into stadiums. Ultimately, the tournament passed off peacefully, aside from some hooligan skirmishing. The fears regarding a terrorist incident were justified though, as an attack in one of the host venue cities, Nice, a matter of days after the tournament had finished, is still fresh in the memory.
So, the security at stadiums is certainly far more likely to prevent an attack than it was at the Manchester Arena, but the bottom line is that we are all vulnerable to this kind of attack because, at some stage on matchdays, we are part of a crowd in public areas where individuals are not subject to searches. If I am brutally honest, I am surprised there hasn’t been an incident, given the current climate.
Apologies this has been a bit of a stream of consciousness, but it’s to say three things -
1. A similar incident is less likely to occur in the immediate vicinity of the Emirates.
2. People will need to get to the stadium earlier next season if they wish to see the kick-off, as I can foresee searches being even more thorough – we’ll get a good idea of this on Saturday at Wembley.
3. There are still many occasions, on matchdays and otherwise, where any of us could fall victim to such an attack. Be wary and take care.
Thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by the events of last night, which makes all the football debate feel pretty trivial today.
