At the opening of a joint workshop between UEFA and the European Stadium Management Association (ESMA) at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, senior UEFA officials told Europe’s stadium managers and club officials that despite wide-ranging and largely successful efforts to improve stadia in recent times, there should be no complacency as far as crowd safety is concerned.
“It’s a terrible mistake to think that disasters such as Glasgow, Heysel, Bastia, Bradford or Sheffield could never happen again,” Ernest Walker, the Scottish chairman of UEFA’s Stadium and Security Committee, told delegates, reminding them of disasters at football grounds over the past 30 years.
“It’s part of your life, my life and that of UEFA to do everything in our power to ensure that it will not happen again. But never make the mistake of thinking that everything is all right,” Walker added. “Let us all be on our guard, let us all take care, and let us all carry out our responsibilities to the best of our ability.”
The two-day workshop is being organised in the wake of an agreement between UEFA and ESMA – a non-profit organisation uniting Europe’s stadium managers – to work together to consistently improve safety and increase spectator comfort at football matches.
Among the items being discussed are security and national legislation, artificial turf and stadium renovation. UEFA is also explaining its activities, both past and present, in the stadium sector, and presenting its expectations of stadium management with respect to commercial aspects.
UEFA has urged continued vigilance in the drive to create friendlier and safer football stadia.
