Specially permitted police officers to accompany national team at Euro 2024

ANKARA

A group of Turkish police officers will accompany the Turkish football team during Euro 2024 with a special permission from Berlin, daily Hürriyet has reported.

The daily on June 7 quoted Turkish sources as saying that the officers who are set to arrive from Türkiye will work to ensure the security and coordination of the national team, for which special authorization was obtained from German authorities.

The Turkish national team is set to compete in Group F, with their first match scheduled for June 18.

"However, due to Germany being the host nation, the event holds critical importance for Türkiye. This is because Germany hosts members of the PKK terrorist organization as well as FETÖ members who have fled from Türkiye,” the report said.

Consequently, ensuring the security of not only the national team but also the safety of Turkish citizens traveling to Germany to witness this football carnival is of paramount importance to Türkiye, the daily said.

According to reports from the German press, the Dortmund Municipality stated that there was no specific threat directed at the Turkish national team.

Earlier this week, German Interior Minister Nacy Faeser said that Germany is ramping up security before the start of the European Championship on June 14 to head off potential threats from Islamists, hooligans, violent individuals and cyberattacks.

Germany expects 2.7 million people to attend matches in stadiums across the country and some 12 million in fan zones for outdoor viewing, said Faeser, but security fears have mounted after a spate of attacks in recent months.