Euro 2004 organisers say no extra security concerns

Euro 2004 organisers said theyhad no special concerns over security following the draw for thefinals made in Lisbon this morning…

Euro 2004 organisers said theyhad no special concerns over security following the draw for thefinals made in Lisbon this morning.

UEFA announced immediately after the draw that two matcheswould be moved from their scheduled venues to bigger grounds inbigger cities.

The Group B clash between Croatia and England on June 21will be played in Lisbon instead of Coimbra, while the gamebetween Germany and the Netherlands in Group D on June 15 willshift from Aveiro to Oporto.

England came close to being thrown out of the last EuropeanChampionship finals in Belgium and the Netherlands in 2000because of hooliganism but organisers said the changes in venuewere solely to provide greater crowd capacity at the games.

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"There's potential for a lot of fans coming over for thosegames," said Euro 2004 spokeswoman Jacinta Johnston. "We'd liketo look after them.

"All the fans will be treated the same way. There's noreason for genuine fans to be treated any differently."

The issue of hooliganism will inevitably be a concern afterthe events of Euro 2000 but organisers are confident they canmeet the security threat.

"We're treating all 31 matches in the tournament with a highprofile," Johnston said. "We're prepared for any eventuality inthe stadiums.

"Seven of the stadiums are new and the other three have beencompletely revamped. That will ensure we have the highest levelsof security.

"We've also had a security committee in place for two years,with representatives from all the different elements."