MUNICH: Qatar-based ICSS appears to have taken a significant step in its ambition of achieving world sports security domination after the appointment of its executive director, Helmut Spahn,  as UEFA security officer for the men’s and women’s UEFA Champions League finals this weekend.

Spahn, a former high-ranking German policeman with significant football control experience, was one of the first ‘signings’ undertaken by the non-profit  International Centre for Sport Security after its creation only last summer.

The former head of security for the 2006 World Cup and 2011 Women’s World Cup – both in Germany – will work alongside Scotland’s Willie McDougall, the local organising committees and the various stakeholders. Clearly, his appointment at this stage is too late to influence security significantly in Munich but is presumably, the prelude to further consultancy co-operation between ICSS with the European federation UEFA and the German footb all federation (DFB).

Spahn’s role will be help deliver critical security components for Europe’s premier club football tournament, including crisis and risk analysis, match day operations, and overall stadia and crowd management.

He said: “I am delighted to be involved. With 300m viewers around the world, the UEFA Champions League final is now one of the most watched TV events on the planet.  There are many more major sporting events taking place this summer and I hope that this appointment demonstrates the ICSS’s commitment to sharing knowledge and best practice in the world of sport security.”

ICSS assisted organisers of this year’s Ice Hockey World Championship in Finland and Sweden and is helping drive two major initiatives with the Institute for Fan Culture (IfF) into fan behaviour and the Université Paris I – Panthéon-Sorbonne.

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