France is to mobilise a record number of police at each Rugby World Cup match after the chaos at the Champions League football final at the Stade de France last year, at which supporters were teargassed, shoved and pickpocketed.
The French sports minister, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, said there had been “considerable progress” in the year since the Champions League fiasco. “We have learned from the difficult events we went through and implemented a whole series of improvements,” she said.
Last year’s final on 28 May against Real Madrid was delayed by more than 30 minutes after French police forcefully held back people trying to enter the stadium. Liverpool fans, including children, were teargassed, some sprayed directly in the face. Many Liverpool fans complained of being shoved, assaulted, almost crushed and pickpocketed in chaotic scenes around the stadium that were decried by opposition politicians as a scandal seriously damaging to France’s image abroad.
The French senate, after weeks of testimony and questioning of senior ministers and the head of Paris police, concluded in a preliminary report last year that the chaos was caused by a “chain of events and malfunctions” by different authorities and the French state in the runup to the final and on the night. There had been clear failings in preparation and coordination between different authorities and organisers, the senate found.
The interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, said on Wednesday that the routes to the Stade de France for supporters had been changed since last year, and promised record numbers of police for the Rugby World Cup matches.
He said more than 5,100 officers would be mobilised on standard match-days and 7,500 officers for large matches, such as Friday’s opening match between France and New Zealand at the Stade de France, as well as for the final. “This is unprecedented for a sporting event,” he said.
He said the mobile police units deployed at Friday’s opening match would be used at the stadium and to monitor tourist areas and public transport, as well as fan zones.
In addition to policing matches, 1,210 police would be deployed in Paris and Seine-Saint-Denis “to maintain security and of course, to fight against terrorism”, Darmanin said.
About 600,000 foreign visitors and 2 million spectators are expected to attend the competition, being hosted in nine different cities across France until 28 October.
Darmanin said all the Rugby World Cup teams would benefit from the protection of elite police forces. In addition, an anti-drone system would be used in and around stadiums, while there would be a ban on flying over teams’ training camps and match venues.
Video protection systems would be reinforced, with a dedicated budget of €4.1m (£35.1), including the purchase of 550 cameras in 29 cities and towns.
“That zero-delinquency philosophy will continue right through to the summer Olympic and Paralympic Games next summer,” Darmanin said.
He added that more than 4,000 people had been arrested in recent months in the course of operations in the Stade de France area.
Darmanin said the increase in police forces would not only be implemented during the Rugby World Cup and the Olympics, but would also remain in the long term, with the aim of eradicating petty crime.
