Champions League draw: How safe are fans at Uefa European fixtures?

The article discusses the recent issues with fan safety and security at European football matches, particularly in the Europa League. Fans have reported a decline in standards, including increased regional police forces banning away fans from attending matches, travel bans, and inadequate organization.

Uefa has responded to these concerns by stating that they have strengthened their partnerships with key stakeholders responsible for safety and security, but many fans and experts believe that this response is insufficient. The final report into the 2022 fiasco, commissioned by Uefa, found that Uefa was primarily at fault and made recommendations for improvement, including taking more responsibility for security in their role as the event organiser.

However, there has been a lack of tangible reforms since the report's publication, leading to concerns about the safety and security of future events. Experts believe that the political atmosphere in Europe does not help when it comes to police accountability, and that British clubs are often better equipped than fans from other countries due to their good UK police delegations and well-organized pre-match security visits.

The article also highlights the need for more effective reforms, such as moving games or teams out of areas where fan safety is a concern, rather than relying on reactive measures.

thinkin bout this europa league thing and im like what even is the point? we got fans gettin banned from matches over there and its like we should be worryin about makin sure people r safe not discriminatin against specific groups of people. uefa says theyre doin somethin but its all just words if they aint followin through. i mean, british clubs have better security systems in place cuz their police is like way more organized and accountable... its not that hard to train other teams and leagues on how to handle this kinda thing

I'm fuming about this ! I mean, come on Uefa, you're saying all the right things but it's like you're not actually doing anything to fix the problems . First of all, a strengthened partnership with stakeholders is just lip service if they're not actually implementing real change . And what's with the "we'll do better" rhetoric when it's clear that you haven't done squat yet .

And don't even get me started on the fact that fans from certain countries are being banned or travel-restricted just because of their location . It's like, I get it, security is important, but this isn't a war zone, people! Can't you just sort out your priorities and make sure the game day is safe for everyone involved?

And have you seen the report from last year? They basically said that Uefa was at fault and made all these recommendations, but what happened to them? Nothing, that's what! . It's like they just wanted to cover their backsides rather than actually making some real changes. I mean, can't we just have a safe and enjoyable match without all the drama and politics?

I'm really worried about the safety of football fans in Europe ️! It's like, UEFA's just talking the talk and not walking the walk . I mean, if they're truly committed to improving security, why haven't we seen any real changes? It's like they're just patching up the holes instead of fixing the system . And don't even get me started on how politicized it all is . Can't we just focus on making stadiums safer for everyone? It's time for some real reform, like moving matches to different locations or taking more responsibility for security in the first place . Anything less is just not good enough

Honestly, it feels like Uefa's just patching up the same old issues instead of taking real action to prevent these disasters from happening in the first place . I mean, if their report back in 2022 said they needed to take more responsibility for security and now that's still not happening... what's the point? It's like they're just going through the motions to look good while actual changes aren't being made .

And can we talk about how crazy it is that British clubs always seem to have better security? I get it, UK police are generally more reliable and stuff, but that shouldn't be a problem for Uefa, who's supposed to be in charge of the whole event! It feels like they're just not doing their job properly or something. Moving games out of areas where safety is a concern might be a good start... we need to see some real action here .

I'm so frustrated with how things are going with fan safety in Europe Europa League matches have been getting worse and worse lately and it's just not right. I mean, how hard can it be to make sure fans are safe? The police ban is just ridiculous, like what's the point of even having a game if you're not going to let your own fans attend?

And have you seen the report from last year? It basically said Uefa was at fault and they should be doing more to secure games. But has anything changed? Nope! They just keep saying "oh, we've got it under control" when in reality, they don't.

I think the problem is that Europe is all about politics and stuff, and it gets in the way of things like police accountability. Like, if you're going to take care of your own fans, why do you need "help" from other countries? And don't even get me started on those teams from smaller countries... they just can't compete with the safety measures we have here .

I'm all for moving games or teams out of areas that are a hazard. It's not too much to ask, right? Just make sure your fans are safe and you're good to go!

Ugh I'm so done with these online forums ... anyway back to football. Seriously though, the state of security at European matches is getting out of hand. I've seen fans from other countries getting banned just for wearing certain clothes or having a certain flag, it's ridiculous. And what's with Uefa's response? Just saying they're strengthening their partnerships doesn't cut it when nothing tangible has changed since that report came out .

And don't even get me started on the whole "British clubs have better police delegations" thing. That's just a cop-out. What about all the other teams and fans who are being unfairly targeted? It's not like it's just some isolated incident, this is a systemic problem that needs to be addressed.

I think we need more than just reactive measures to fix this. I mean, why can't they just move games out of areas where there's been trouble instead of just cracking down on fans who want to attend? It makes so much more sense to me...

Fan safety at European football matches is getting seriously neglected . I mean, who wants to risk their life for a match, right? UEFA's response about strengthening partnerships with key stakeholders sounds good and all, but it's just not enough. They need to take real action, like implementing more robust security measures that actually work. And what's up with the travel bans on away fans? It's not fair to penalize the innocent for the mistakes of a few bad apples.

And I'm loving how experts are saying that UEFA is partly to blame and should take more responsibility for securing games. Like, come on guys! You're the event organizers! Get it together . And yeah, let's be real, the UK police delegations are usually way ahead of the game compared to other countries. It's just not right that some fans are being unfairly targeted.

I'm all for moving games out of areas where fan safety is a concern, like in this case with Porto and Rangers. That makes total sense . We need more proactive measures than just reacting to incidents after they happen. UEFA needs to step up their game and prioritize fan safety once and for all .

I'm so worried about the state of football in Europe right now . I mean, you can't just slap a band-aid on the problem and expect everything to be okay again. The fact that fans are being banned from matches because of security concerns is just ridiculous. And what's with all these reactive measures? Just moving games out of areas where it's a concern would make so much more sense . I mean, Uefa says they've strengthened their partnerships and all that, but when you look at the numbers, it just doesn't add up. The report from last year was clear: Uefa needs to take more responsibility for security, and now we're seeing the same problems pop up again . It's time for some real changes, not just a bunch of feel-good PR .

I mean, can you believe it? Fan safety should be a top priority and it's crazy that we're still seeing these kinds of issues. I've been to a few matches myself and even though I'm from the UK, I know how hard it is to get to certain games in Europe. The lack of responsibility shown by Uefa is pretty shocking - they need to step up their game on safety measures!

I'm so worried about these recent fan safety issues at European football matches . It's totally unacceptable that regional police forces are banning away fans from attending matches and some people even got travel bans . Uefa needs to step up their game and take more responsibility for security, especially since they're the event organiser . I mean, their final report last year was clear - improvements needed ASAP!

It's also super concerning that experts think police accountability is a major issue in Europe right now . And yeah, some teams are better equipped with good UK police delegations and pre-match security visits . We need more proactive measures like moving games out of areas where fan safety is a concern . That's the only way we can ensure these issues don't keep happening . The Europa League needs to get its act together! ️

Fan safety at Europa League matches is getting way too out of hand ... its like UEFA is just winging it and expecting everything to magically get better overnight Newsflash: increased police presence isn't a solution if the underlying problems aren't being addressed . We need more concrete changes, like moving teams or games out of areas with fan safety concerns instead of just kicking fans out of matches . I'm not buying all this "we're taking responsibility" nonsense when it's clear that UEFA is still pretty much responsible for everything that goes down ... need to do more than just talk the talk, UEFA

I think it's time for UEFA to step up their game when it comes to ensuring fan safety . The fact that they're saying they've strengthened partnerships with key stakeholders but not actually doing anything tangible is kinda disappointing . I mean, if the final report from 2022 already identified a major issue and suggested solutions, why haven't we seen any real changes? It's like they're just paying lip service . And what's with all these regional police forces banning away fans? That's not exactly addressing the root problem of poor security . We need to see some concrete moves to move games out of areas that are a concern, rather than just reacting after something goes wrong .

i think uefa needs to take more concrete actions to address these issues . just saying they've strengthened their partnerships with stakeholders isn't enough . what's needed is tangible reforms and accountability for when things go wrong . moving games or teams out of trouble zones makes sense, but it's also important to acknowledge that some clubs are already doing things right . we need to support those efforts and build on them, not just patch up the existing system .

I'm really worried about the state of fan safety in Europe right now. It's totally unacceptable that some fans are being banned from matches just because of their team colors! Hasn't Uefa learned anything from the past? They said they'd take more responsibility for security, but it feels like just a bunch of empty promises .

I think the problem goes way beyond just Uefa. The whole policing situation in Europe is a mess. It's not fair that some fans get a better deal than others just because of where they're from . And have you seen the reports about police accountability? Not good at all . What's needed is real reform, like moving games to safer locations or something .

I don't think we can just rely on "reforms" that don't actually change anything. We need concrete action, not just words . Uefa and the rest of the football authorities need to get their acts together if they want fans to feel safe at matches .

I'm really disappointed in how things have been going with fan safety at Europa League matches . It's just not good enough that Uefa has strengthened their partnerships – we need to see real, tangible changes . The fact is, if you're a smaller club from Eastern Europe or anywhere else, trying to get tickets to a match can be a nightmare . And the policing? Forget about it . I've heard some fans talk about going to matches in England just so they can have a safer experience .

I think we need to think outside the box here . Instead of just doing more of the same, why not move some games or teams out of areas where fan safety is really at risk? It's not just about policing – it's about creating an environment where fans feel welcome and safe . And Uefa needs to take ownership of this, like they said they would after that report . Anything less is just a cop-out .

I gotta say, it's super concerning that fans are being banned from attending matches and travel restrictions are being put in place . The fact that Uefa didn't take more responsibility for security after the 2022 fiasco is just not good enough . They said they strengthened their partnerships, but where's the concrete proof?

And it's even more infuriating when you consider that British clubs have better pre-match security in place compared to other countries ️. It just highlights how some teams and fans are being unfairly targeted .

We need to move towards a more proactive approach, like relocating games or teams to areas where safety is a concern . That way, we can avoid the reactive measures that keep putting fans at risk . Until then, I don't think we'll ever see real change

You know what's weird? I was just reading about how some new coffee shops in London are using those fancy AI-powered coffee machines that can make drinks for you... it's kinda cool, but also a bit creepy . Anyway, back to the football thing... I don't get why fans from other countries have to deal with all this hassle when British clubs just seem to have better organized security? It's like they're getting a VIP treatment or something . And honestly, moving games out of areas that are prone to problems seems like a no-brainer... it's not exactly rocket science, right?

Its not just about increasing partnerships with stakeholders, UEFA needs to step up their game when it comes to taking responsibility for the security at these matches... I mean, they're the ones organizing the events, its on them to make sure everything is safe and secure for everyone involved. The fact that fans from certain regions are being banned or travel restricted is just not fair, especially if they've done nothing wrong. And moving games out of areas with safety concerns makes total sense, it would definitely reduce tensions and show that UEFA is serious about fan safety.

I'm so with the fans on this one . Uefa's plan to strengthen their partnerships just seems like PR speak at this point. Like, they're not actually doing anything concrete to change things around. And don't even get me started on how unfair it is that British clubs are getting away scot-free when it comes to security . It's all about the money and politics as usual. We should be seeing more games moved out of areas with a proven track record of fan safety issues, not just bandaid solutions like banning fans from certain regions . It's time for some real reform here!