Fans brave unprecedented security for El Clasico in Madrid
Madrid (AFP) - Sniffer dogs, mounted
police, helicopters, security forces in their
hundreds and countless identity checks
greeted fans for Saturday's El Clasico at
the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
Supporters flocking to see the showpiece clash
between Real Madrid and Barcelona in the
Spanish capital were confronted with an
unprecedented security display for what is widely
regarded as the biggest game in world football,
just over a week after the deadly Paris attacks.
"In 20 years that I've been coming here, it's the
first time I've seen something like this. There's
always police, but nothing like today," said
student Borja Jimenez, standing with a drink
before entering the mythic stadium ahead of the
game, which started later with a minute of
silence for the Paris victims as a large French
flag was unfurled.
"It's super secure, there's no way anyone can
bring in a bomb here," added the Real Madrid
supporter, who had to go through three checks
before he was able to enter the ring of security
laid out by authorities in streets adjacent to the
ground.
Some 1,000 police have been deployed to protect
the stadium and another 1,400 security guards
are also keeping a watchful eye on a game that
has an estimated global television audience of
500 million.
Spanish authorities have labelled the game a
"high risk" one after the Stade de France was
one of a number of targets struck during the
Paris attacks last week that left 130 people dead
and more than 350 injured.
- 'Show of resistance' -
In Madrid, as supporters queued to enter the
81,000-strong stadium and have their pockets
and bags searched, armed police stood watch
every few metres, security forces on horseback
passed by and still others walked around with
sniffer dogs.
But the heightened security appeared not to
have dampened the excitement of the thousands
who flocked to the stadium, some from as far
away as Tajikistan... or from France, like
Melanie Bezzazi, whose relatives were worried
about her travelling to Madrid for the game.
"We can't deprive oneself of everything, cancel
everything... They cancelled quite a lot of stuff
in france, quite a lot of events so we came here
hoping to enjoy things a bit," said the 25-year-
old, a French flag wrapped around her.
Preparations for the game started hours before
the 1715GMT kickoff, with police going over
every square inch of the area surrounding the
stadium.
But authorities attempted to ease concerns
ahead of a clash dominated by security fears.
"There isn't a REAL threat to the Madrid-Barca
game at the weekend. Entrust us with your
security and ENJOY IT!," Spain's national police
tweeted on Friday.
In a comment piece, the La Vanguardia daily
said the game had taken on a "special
dimension."
"This is a sporting event, but at the same time
it's also a show of resistance to terror," the
newspaper wrote.
"Fans will go to the pitch, like so many other
times, to cheer on their teams, wanting to enjoy
a great game. But at the same time, they will
also go to say loud and clear that terror will not
change our habits nor our lifestyles."
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