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Hamburg ups security for U.S. soccer team
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 HAMBURG,
Germany (UPI) -- The U.S. soccer national team is staying in a Hamburg
hotel during this summer`s World Cup, a major security concern for
Germany`s second-largest city.
It`s not that the U.S. boys are unwanted in Hamburg, but their
arrival in the northern German city of nearly 1.8 million will put
additional stress on security officials there, who are already tackling
a busy schedule during the month-long tournament. Terrorism and
fan violence are the authorities` main concerns ahead of the World
Cup, which starts on June 9 and runs for a month in 12 German cities.
While experts say the U.S. team will have a tough time advancing
to the final rounds in a group that pits it against established
soccer powers Italy and the Czech Republic, the squad of Coach Bruce
Arena is ranked No. 1 on the terrorism-risk list.
'This indeed is quite a challenge,' said Thomas Model, Hamburg`s
police official in charge of security during the tournament. Model
added he was a bit surprised initially 'how relaxed U.S. team officials
are approaching this.'
When he says relaxed, Model means the U.S. choice of location:
The team will stay in the Park Hyatt Hotel, a 252-bed, 5-star luxury
complex right in the middle of Hamburg`s busiest shopping street,
the Moenckebergstrasse. Here, giant shopping centers and small luxury
boutiques attract tens of thousands of people each day.
'You`d think they would choose a bit of an off-center location,'
he said. 'But they don`t want to live in a fortress but want to
get out on the street and feel at home.'
Model added there was so far no intent to close off the Moenckebergstrasse
for public access -- it likely wouldn`t be easy to do such anyway,
because a blocking the street without a real emergency situation
would result in lawsuits from the many stores losing business.
'But you won`t be able to access the shopping arcade below the
hotel or the hotel itself,' Model said, adding that officials were
prepared to guarantee the U.S. boys` safety.
A nearby postal office may have to store its incoming packages
in another building, and surrounding company and office buildings
will be checked for security gaps.
'But we won`t have sharpshooters sitting in manholes,' he said.
However, in the case of a real emergency situation, he added, the
area around the hotel may be closed off after all.
'You never know how the political situation develops until June,'
he said.
In any case, the police chief can bank on a pool of more than 8,500
officers to ensure security in the city.
For additional safety, Hamburg will bustle with private security
agents: FIFA, the world governing body of soccer, has contracted
Swedish firm Securitas to guard all of the 24 teams` hotels and
training grounds. Securitas is an experienced company with some
190,000 employees worldwide; the World Cup nevertheless is 'quite
a big challenge,' one Securitas official told United Press International
on condition of anonymity.
On June 16, Saudi Arabia will play Ukraine in Hamburg; observers
expect security officials to become a bit nervous with thousands
of fans from the Middle East attending the game.
However, the U.S. national team is not the only source of concern
for Hamburg officials: As has been done in every other World Cup
venue, Hamburg is organizing a 'Fan Fest,' a public viewing party
where some 50,000 fans can watch the games live on giant TV screens.
Hamburg`s Fan Fest will be held on the Heiligengeistfeld, a large
public space near the city`s infamous St. Pauli district. The 'Reeperbahn,'
St. Pauli`s party and red-light center, easily attracts 250,000
party-goers on any given weekend.
The Heiligengeistfeld will be tough to secure as there are no boundaries
or sections as in a normal soccer stadium. Also, beer and liquor
will be readily available for fans, be it on the Heiligengeistfeld
or on the nearby Reeperbahn.
As for hooliganism, Model said he was consulting with embassies
from several other World Cup nations about the movement of violent
fans into Germany. For the Czech Republic-Italy match, several hundred
officers from the Carabinieri, Italy`s military police, will patrol
Hamburg.
'They know their fans much better than we do,' Model said, adding
that by cooperating internationally, the influx of hooligans could
be stopped as early as the border. He added, however, that Eastern
Europe remains a grey area when it comes to hooliganism, as officials
there lack detailed data on the scene.
Be it at the Fan Fest or around Hamburg`s World Cup stadium: Everywhere,
emergency crews will be readily available to treat the injured.
Several hospitals in Hamburg will have emergency capacities ready.
The presence of so many police, security and emergency officials
bothers Model a bit. After all, the World Cup`s motto reads 'A time
to make friends.' For the tournament, which will shut down Germany`s
life outside soccer, more than one million fans are expected to
travel to the country.
'It`s very difficult to guarantee safety and at the same time make
people feel comfortable,' Model said. 'But we want to achieve just
that and walk this fine line. Hamburg is an open and welcoming city
and we want to show that.'
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
http://sport.monstersandcritics.com/soccer/article_1150717.php/Hamburg_ups_security_for_U.S._soccer_team
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