UEFA to monitor London security ahead of Champions League final
The Champions League final is being staged in London where security has come into focus ahead of the big match
The British government held an emergency meeting on Thursday following the daylight murder of a British soldier in the capital the previous day.
Owned by the English
Football Association, Wembley is hosting the final of the prestigious
European club competition for the second time in two years, but on match
day it is UEFA which assumes responsibility for the stadium in north
London.
UEFA said it was
"confident" that the all-German final between Bayern Munich and Borussia
Dortmund would not be affected by wider events in London.
"We obviously have a lot
of security measures in place," a UEFA spokeswoman told CNN. "We are
confident they will guarantee there is a positive atmosphere in the city
as well as inside the stadium.
"As for each final we contact the [local] police and security is in their hands. We will of course be monitoring the situation.
"Each time we hold a
final we discuss various security matters [with the venues] where we
discuss the number of stewards, security and police officers required."
London's Metropolitan
Police Service has not changed the "threat level" for the final since
the murder, though the police will continue to keep their plans under
constant review.
"In light of events in
Woolwich we have looked at our policing plan for the Champions League
final," said Chief Superintendent Julia Pendry, who is heading up the
policing operation for the final, said in a statement.
"We would like to
reassure travelling fans and visitors to London that there is nothing at
this stage to suggest any threat to this event and an appropriate
policing response will be in place to ensure the safety and security of
those who attend the event.
"We are working closely
with British Transport Police and our other emergency service partners
and as always our plans are flexible and kept under continuous review."
Firearms officers are
used as a response service by the Metropolitan Police Service and would
not routinely be on patrol at events such as Champions League finals.
Security in London has
come under renewed focus after a British soldier was brutally killed
close to barracks in Woolwich, south London on Wednesday.
There has been increased
security at army bases around London amid fears of additional attacks,
but Prime Minister David Cameron urged people to "go about their normal
lives."
Borussia Dortmund has not changed its advice to fans traveling to London ahead of Saturday's match.
The club has sold all of
its allocation of 25,000 tickets for the London final after 500,000 had
applied for tickets, though Dortmund did not know how many fans were
planning to travel to the UK without a ticket for the match.
Bayern Munich was not immediately available for comment.
The capacity of Wembley Stadium for the match will be 86,000, with each team receiving 25,000 seats with 9,000 going on sale to fans around the world.
Wembley will be open to fans from 1630 (BST) ahead of the Champions League finale.
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