International soccer games could become terrorist targets and security should no longer be taken for granted at sporting venues worldwide, top soccer officials warned on Monday.
Peter Velappan, the general secretary of the Asian Football Confederation, told a security seminar in Kuala Lumpur that event organisers in Asia have often assumed venues would be safe from attack because many countries in the region are peaceful.
But terrorist activity and other violence in nations such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and Uzbekistan — all of which field teams in Asian competitions — show that ”there are potential volcanoes, even in Asia,” Velappan said.
”We no longer have a world where security and safety can be taken for granted,” Velappan said.
”Football is the most attractive event to really disrupt, since you can destabilise the entire football world,” he said.
”No other sport brings together so many people in one venue. If someone chooses to go and plant some bombs in different parts of a stadium, you lose everything.”
Walter Gagg, Fifa’s director of stadiums and security, said soccer’s world governing body was optimistic that the sport would not be targeted by terrorists, but that officials should remain ”very, very careful”.
”In a stadium, it’s easy to create a disaster, since security officers cannot check every spectator,” Gagg told reporters.
”Clubs and national associations should refurbish their stadiums with modern security infrastructure, not just spend money on transfers of players and salaries of players and coaches,” Gagg said.
Security would be tight during the 2006 World Cup in Munich, Germany, Gagg said, especially since European countries have borders that travellers can easily cross without much immigration hassles.
Gagg noted Japanese media reported in February that the terror network al-Qaeda had plans to carry out attacks in Japan during the 2002 World Cup soccer tournament, but aborted the plans because it did not have a network in Japan, which hosted the event jointly with South Korea.
Security concerns have already disrupted the Asian Champions League. AFC officials postponed two matches due to be played this week in Uzbekistan after four days of violence between authorities and alleged terrorists that killed at least 47 people.
Speaking to soccer organisers from nearly 30 Asian and Middle East countries, Velappan said security was mainly the responsibility of governments, but that national soccer associations should cooperate with police and state officials to upgrade venue safety.
He said organisers should not book venues that fail to meet security requirements such as not having sufficient entrances or exits.
Velappan said numerous international soccer events were scheduled to be played in Asia this year, including the July-August Asian Cup in China, the AFC’s Champions League games and qualifying matches for the Athens Olympics and the 2006 World Cup.
Ma Chengquan, a senior official with China’s Football Association, voiced confidence the Asian Cup would run smoothly, saying security was being upgraded at all stadiums in the four cities where the tournament will be staged. – Sapa-AP