Euro 2024: Germany celebrates largely secure tournament

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said Monday the UEFA Euro 2024 football championship hosted by Germany was mostly calm, despite "a few security-related incidents."

"There were significantly fewer security incidents and offenses than our security authorities had expected for an event attended by millions of people," Faeser said. "The very high police presence throughout the country was the main reason for this."

Ten stadiums in Germany hosted matches during the monthlong tournament, with dedicated fan zones to screen the games also set up in major cities. A total of 2.6 million people attended matches and another 6 million watched games in the fan zones, according to the Interior Ministry. 

"We are very satisfied with the result. There were great fans, great organization, cities that fully participated. We at UEFA are always very happy when we can do something in Germany," UEFA tournament director Martin Kallen said on Monday. 

Hundreds of reported offenses

According to the Interior Ministry, officials recorded 2,340 offenses linked to the tournament, including around 700 involving bodily harm and 120 thefts. Police officers were attacked in 140 cases.

The ministry said police made a total of about 170 arrests and 320 temporary detentions.

For the tournament, Germany introduced temporary border controls, a move typically only applied during special occasions in the ID check-free Schengen zone. The ministry said border control forces recorded 8,300 unauthorized entries and 1,112 people were arrested. 

These border checks will remain in place until Friday, although they will be reinstated along the French-German border from July 26 to August 11, for the duration of the Olympics.

Border checks will also remain along the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland until December and on the Austrian border until November.

'Fantastic football festival'

Despite the issues reported, the tournament's security has been deemed a success. Germany had been "prepared for all conceivable dangers from Islamist terrorism, through hooligan violence to cyberattacks and dangerous drone flights," Faeser said. 

"We have experienced the fantastic football festival in the heart of Europe that we all wanted. Our country has presented itself as a good host," Faeser said in a press release.

"Many images of this summer in our cities will remain unforgettable," she added. Football could "of course not solve the problems of our time, but in these weeks it has created a sense of community that has done us good as a society," she said. 

Berlin officials said that a total of 1 million people visited the two fan zones in the city near the Brandenburg Gate.

"We have shown that we can provide security. Berlin has won," said Iris Spranger, Berlin's senator for sports.

fb/ab (AFP, AP, dpa) 

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