Spain’s chief of police warned of the potential for “serious problems” as Seville braces for an expected of 150,000 Rangers and Eintracht Frankfurt fans for today’s Europa League final.
“It’s too many people with too much alcohol, the majority without tickets for the game, and lots of construction sites around the city, a recipe that could lead to serious problems,” Juan Carlos Castro Estevez, Spain’s General Commissioner for Citizen Security, said at a briefing with high-ranking National Police Officers on Tuesday.
He said 100,000 Rangers fans were expected, with 50,000 from Frankfurt, as the two clubs battle for the title that will qualify them for next season’s Champions League.
While warning that the policing operation will be one of the most “difficult challenges they have ever had,” he said he was confident the showpiece could pass off without major problems.
“We are trying to do everything right, and we have a lot of experience with situations like this, although that does not mean that there will be no problems,” he said.
“We will host two fan bases that drink a lot. These citizens, who are used to drinking warm beer in their countries, when they find our fresh and cold beers, will drink even more.
“But we sincerely believe that we have sufficient and prepared units to counteract the problems,” he assured.
While all roads lead to Seville for the fans, Castro said he was not quite sure how they would all arrive.
“All the trains from Madrid and Malaga are sold out, and we are expecting a massive arrival of charter flights to Seville, Mallorca, Canary Islands, Malaga, Jerez and Faro, where we believe around 30,000 Rangers fans will stay, coming to Seville by buses today,” he said.