European Football Championship: Ukraine game in Munich – Police “highly sensitized” – Munich

Since the decisive playoff games on Wednesday evening, the last team that will be playing at the European Football Championship in Munich in the summer has now been determined: it is Ukraine, which won 2-1 against Iceland and is in European Championship Group E meets Romania, Belgium and Slovakia

Ukraine will play its opening game against Romania on June 17th, a Monday, in the Fröttmaninger Arena (kick-off: 3 p.m.). After the opening game of the German selection against Scotland on the Friday evening before (June 14th), it is the second of the six European Championship games in Munich.

These are:

Ukraine’s guest appearance has a certain explosiveness, especially for the Munich police. In this context, she lets it be known that she is “already highly sensitized to the increased abstract danger of recent years, particularly in connection with recurring major events.”

Especially after the suspected terrorist attack by Islamist extremists in Moscow, we are monitoring global events and exchanging ideas with the national security authorities. “According to the latest assessments of the situation, there is currently no information regarding a concrete or increased threat to the city and district of Munich,” said a spokesman upon request.

The deployment at a major event such as the European Football Championship is planned individually for each game, depending on the game constellation and the state of knowledge. The number of civil servants required could vary, it said; The Munich police operational concept can also be adjusted at any time if necessary, even during ongoing operations.

Preparations are currently in full swing, but it is not yet possible to predict how many emergency and support staff will be required to ensure safety at the games in Munich in the summer.

The central security center for the European Championship is in Neuss (North Rhine-Westphalia). 300 officers are to be brought together in the so-called International Police Cooperation Center (IPCC), including police officers from home and abroad, as well as representatives of the intelligence service, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution and experts in cybersecurity. The European Championship is considered one of the most endangered sporting events in a long time, according to the news magazine The mirror recently reported with reference to confidential government documents.

After falling behind 1-0 on Tuesday evening, Ukraine beat Iceland 2-1 with goals from Viktor Zygankov (54th minute) and Chelsea player Mychajlo Mudryk (84th). On June 3rd, the team will play a test match against the German selection in Nuremberg, and the selection will play the other European Championship group games in Düsseldorf (against Slovakia) and Stuttgart (against Belgium).

Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser put the qualification in a political context: “We are very pleased to welcome Ukraine to the European Championships in Germany,” the SPD politician explained, “the signal is once again and far beyond sport: Ukraine belongs to Europe!”

Munich’s mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) is looking forward to the team’s guest appearance. “I very much hope that this great success will give strength to Ukraine and our sister city Kiev,” said Reiter to the sports information service. “What a great performance by the Ukrainian team, whose country has been suffering from the brutal Russian war of aggression for over two years,” Reiter continued.

Kiev has been a twin city of the Bavarian capital since 1989.