Football’s symphony

Vienna certainly knows how to party. To be in the capital of one of the host countries of the 2008 Euro Cup football tournament along with Switzerland is to have a ball.
The Euro 2008 is the largest audience event the city has ever witnessed. Michael Haupl, Vienna's mayor, welcomed fans from all over Europe to the city that hosted seven games starting from June 8 to June 29. The square in front of the mayor's office was transformed into a gigantic fan zone when a total area of two kilometers became the home of about 100,000 fans, served by 86 food stalls and nine giant screens.
However, the corner stone of the event was security. To avoid violence and to make the game a peaceful celebration of football, Vienna was garbed in massive security. "Safety first" was the motto of the event. The joint safety and security concept developed by the two host countries was finalised as early as 2005.
According to the Social Issues Research Centre, an English NGO, hooliganism, once known as the 'British Disease', is a major cause for concern throughout Europe, particularly in Germany, Holland, Italy and Belgium, as well as in the UK. Substantial disturbances at football matches have also been witnessed in Greece, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Austria in the past. Recent debates in the European Parliament and at national government level in many European Union (EU) countries highlight a growing sense of frustration about an apparent inability to curb or redirect the anti-social behaviour of a minority of football supporters.
The memory of 38 dead fans in the Heysel Stadium tragedy in 1985 continues to haunt any debate about the causes and the cure of football violence. The disaster occurred due to football hooliganism when a wall of the Heysel Stadium in Brussels collapsed during a match between Liverpool and Juventus. The disaster is still remembered as the darkest hour in the history of football.
Social scientists look upon football violence as reflection of deeper social problems. Racial abuse and the singing of racial chants from football terraces have been witnessed in the past across Europe. Visiting black players and blacks in home teams are often assailed by racist abuse and insults by fans. Why football should provide the occasion for such dramatic expressions of anger or violence is not clear.
Various lobbies working towards the separation of violence from football have sprung up in recent times. Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) is active during Euro 2008. To send out a message against racism and discrimination, and to celebrate the diversity of Europe's best-loved sport, the network's anti-racism programme promotes the positive message of fighting discrimination in and outside the stadiums. FARE engaged fans, local populations and ethnic minorities through Streetkick tournaments, supporter gatherings and the distribution of fanzines. The theme of Euro 2008 is to ‘Unite Against Racism'. Accredited observers inside stadiums monitored acts and words of racism and discrimination as well as positive and anti-racist episodes.
Two telephone hotlines and an e-mail account were set up for ordinary fans and spectators to report racism and discrimination. A number of key measures were taken to ensure safety and security in the public viewing areas where glass bottles and glasses were banned in Vienna. A security centre was specially built at the stadium as a round the clock contact point between fire brigade, ambulance services, security service, stadium management and the police task force.
About 27,000 police officers watched over the safety of guests and citizens in all of Austria. In Vienna alone, 3,000 police officers were on duty on individual match days. A holiday ban and professional co-ordination enabled an optimum movement of forces within the stadiums, official fan zones and public- viewing areas. The Austrian police force was supported by 830 police officers from Germany. Police officers from the participating countries worked side by side with the Viennese police staff.
Before the game commenced, police officers participated in a three-stage training course conducted by Vienna's special police unit and were equipped with additional vehicles, helmets, breathing masks and shields. Approximately, 1,000 security stewards accompanied the police force.
More than a million guests from Austria and abroad visited Vienna during the championship. Together with Switzerland, Austria hosted a total of 31 matches that were seen live on large screens installed at a number of public places across the city. The number of non-ticket holding football fans was three times as many. According to figures released by the City of Vienna, 600,000 people from 142 countries requested more than 10 million tickets for the 300,000 slots available during the first phase of ticket sales.
Apart from the 2.2 million passengers who regularly take public transport on weekdays, an additional 500,000 guests used the facilities during the games each day. Public transport at daytime was increased by 25 per cent. Night services around the fan zone area and the stadium was up by 50 per cent and police force was visible everywhere, supported by an integrated operations management of police, fire brigade, ambulance service and the armed forces.
More than 105,000 visitors were present in Vienna's fan zone when the Austrian team played. Over 8,000 traffic signs and barriers were ready for use should the police call for additional measures to guide traffic into the fan zone area.
Tonnes of refuse were removed daily from the fan zone in 509 containers. A team of 16 staff members from the Vienna Waste Water Management was responsible for emptying out a total of 171 cubic meters of waste water every night from over 500 mobile public conveniences to ensure that no spoil-sports were allowed to ruin the party.
Needless to say, it took more than 22 craftsmen on the football field, to hit the high note in Austria, in collective harmony, in stunning symphony, and with safety, sense and sensibility.