European soccer's governing body has set up a security task force to make quick decisions if the United States retaliates for the attacks on New York and Washington, UEFA spokesman said. “We all hope that this won't damage fabric of European life, but we recognize that we are entering a potentially uncertain time and we are being prepared,” UEFA communications director Mike Lee told the associated press in confirming a report in the British daily ‘Guardian’. The four-person task force, which includes Lee and UEFA chief executive Gerhard Aigner, will gather information about the security situation and advise on whether matches need to be postponed on additional precautions taken.
UEFA already has wide experience of dealing with soccer matches in dangerous areas. It has been forced to move or postpone a number of matches because of conflict in Balkans.
Last week UEFA decided to move a match from Makhachkala, the capital of the Russian Republic of Dagestan, because of insecurity in neighboring Chechnya. Anzhi Makhachkala and Scottish club rangers are now playing UEFA Cup first leg tie over a single leg in a neutral location, Warsaw on Thursday evening. “We felt that with the possibility of military action and some possibility of effects from that, we wanted to have the additional precaution of a small task force whose job it is to receive reports of a changing security situation and analyse the scheduling of games,” Lee said.
The other two members of the task force are Jacob Erel, UEFA's operations director, and Lars-Christer Olsson, the director of professional football and marketing.
Bureau Report