The “Stadium Discipline and Fighting Riot” Conference recommended promoting partnerships between the security agencies and sports clubs in the country, to ensure the safety and security of sporting events. It also recommended adopting a risk assessment and management methodology to prevent any possible incidents and limit their resulting damage. Other recommendations called for the inclusion of awareness and sportsmanship culture in school curricula, and designate seats for school students at the stadiums.
The Conference was organized by the Police Sports Federation, at the Armed Forces Officers Club in Abu Dhabi. It tackled various topics, namely; raising public awareness; promoting the culture of civilized cheering; instilling the culture of civilized cheering in sports fans; and promoting cooperation between relevant entities.
Moreover, the Conference reiterated the need for media outlets to educate and raise the public’s awareness on the basics of civilized cheering and discipline. This would help prevent stadium riots and promote discipline to protect society. This can be achieved by developing coordination mechanisms between national federations, sports clubs and security agencies, as well as establishing regulatory procedures and security precautions at stadiums, to avoid any unexpected accidents.
Furthermore, the conference recommended enacting laws and regulations to ensure stadiums security as per international sports legislations. It also called for introducing state-of-the-art devices and equipment, used to combat stadium riots worldwide.
Other recommendations shed light on the responsibilities of the sports and security entities during sports events, and the need to appoint a liaison officer in each club, to coordinate security measures prior to events. They also called for designing new sports facilities, consistent with the security and organizational requirements; as well as promoting the idea of security as a societal phenomenon, by educating youth and cooperating with families, educational institutions and social organizations.
Regulatory Procedures for Stadiums Discipline
The first session on the second day of the conference touched on the “Regulatory Procedures for Stadiums Discipline”, and was hosted by presenter Hamed Al Harthi. Brigadier General Ahmed Khalfan Al Mansouri, Head of the Emergency Section at Dubai Police, presented a work paper emphasizing that stadium riots are a major source of concern for security planners, due to their negative impact on attracting World Championships. Moreover, he added: “We endeavored to overcome such accidents, so we prepared security studies aimed at conducting awareness campaigns in primary and secondary schools; as well as complying with all international standards to ensure public safety”.
For his part, Steve Storey, Newcastle United’s Head of Safety and Security Operations, tackled the issue of safety management in football stadiums. He focused on distribution of responsibilities on game days; working with police entities; exchanging information and assessing risks.
Furthermore, he highlighted the roles and responsibilities of the safety officer, Chief of Stadium Police and local authorities; then reviewed the Newcastle United’s experience.
Other lecturers included: expert Dr. Hussein Omar Al Samri; Major Dr. Saud Salem Al Junaibi, from the Police Sports Federation; and Ian Campbell, Director of operations at Zayed Sports City.
Sports organizations and Stadiums Discipline