USA TODAY International Edition
French soccer event raises concerns
Less than a day after the Paris terrorist tragedy, an odd sight could be found near the epicenter of the attacks that left more than 129 people dead.
A local man pedaled up the street toward the Bataclan Theater on Boulevard Voltaire, pulling his baby grand piano behind him. When he reached the venue, he stopped, sat and began to play
Imagine, John Lennon’s iconic anthem of peace, with his brow furrowed and a tear rolling down his cheek.
As the French capital mourns, so too are seeds of defiance such as the pianist’s starting to sprout. Central to that determination to not let terror win will be a sporting tournament scheduled for next summer.
The European Championship is the second- most significant international event in soccer after the World Cup and is due to be staged across France in June and July of 2016.
Protecting sports occasions from evil is no simple task, just ask the proud citizens of Munich or Boston, yet a soccer championship is even more of a logistical headache for security forces.
The Euros, as they are known in the soccer world, will feature 51 matches over 32 days in 10 cities. Such longevity and scale makes protecting an Olympic Games, isolated to a single city in roughly half the time period, seem comparatively simple.
“There’s no point trying to ignore this,” Italy coach Antonio Conte said Friday. “In all honesty, there is some fear, as these are very scary situations.”
“A lot of precautions were taken, but we can see that terrorists can strike at any moment,” Noel Le Graet, president of the FFF, French soccer’s governing body, told L’Equipe. “We were already worried about the Euros; now we worry even more. But now, my thoughts are with the families.”
France is a diverse nation with a large immigrant population from Islamic countries. Tensions between various ethnic groups and law- enforcement services have long been high, while extremist factions have also emerged to political relevance.
In January, Al- Qaeda- linked terrorists murdered 11 people at the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical weekly newspaper. Friday’s attacks, and the apparent willingness of the perpetrators to kill indiscriminately, sent further shock waves around the world.
The final of the Euros will be at the Stade de France, the same venue where two nearby explosions erupted on Friday, as France played Germany in an international friendly game.
Yet there is already no sense of defeat from the French people or the authorities. Defiance, whether from a man at a piano or the decision of the French national team to play England on Tuesday instead of canceling the game, is everywhere.
It is often said of terrorist attacks and their aftermath that carrying on is the greatest triumph of all. The way New York and Boston go about their business, while never forgetting those who were killed on Sept. 11 and during the 2013 Boston Marathon, is the greatest tribute of all to the families of those who were mindlessly taken.
Paris and France will no doubt respond in similar fashion. It is a place of passion and spirit and pride. Yet now, immediately, the scrutiny on the city and especially its major events will be at an alltime high.
Friday was a graphic and devastating reminder of the evil and carnage terror groups can initiate. Targeting a major sports event, where competitors and fans gather collectively from far and wide, offers an even greater potential for havoc.
There is nervousness, with the Euros just seven months away.
“It makes us think and we’ll see what happens in ( the) future,” Italy defender Leandro Bonucci said on Friday night. “A thought also goes to risks around the Euros. Those in charge need to take the necessary measures.”
These fears are the greatest weapons the antagonists have. The most powerful response is carrying on undeterred, impossibly difficult though it might seem.
That is the challenge Paris faces. And as the music slowly starts up again in the majestic French capital, soccer will find it has a role to play in the healing.