MADRID, 13 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Tickets purchased online to watch LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank matches will be nominal this season, after this security measure was approved by the National Commission Against Violence in Sports Spectacles (CEVRXID), LaLiga reports in a statement.
The decision will force the nominative sale of tickets online with the identifier of the buyer and final recipient, and the reinforcement of verification systems at the entrances, both those of the visiting stands and systems that can be activated at any time in the rest of the stadium.
This is expected to help further increase security at LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank matches, since buying tickets online can be a channel for violating regulations and security devices by violent and radical groups.
The focus on the traceability of fans in order to establish security devices effectively is a priority for LaLiga. For this, the generalization in stages of biometric control has been very effective, as is the case of the fingerprint, a system that works in a totally anonymized way.
In this sense, progress is also being made in the consolidation, promotion and development of the operation of the animation stands, for which specific security requirements are established, such as more security personnel, or personal and non-transferable season tickets.
“We have data that confirms the downward trend in the activity of high-risk fan groups linked to LaLiga teams, especially that linked to LaLiga Santander or LaLiga SmartBank matches. In LaLiga club stadiums, incidents of risk are practically non-existent, and in the last five years they have remained at an average of 14 incidents per season, well below the average of other major European leagues.This is the result of close collaboration in recent years between public and private security In addition, we continue to work on new measures that can help with the State Security Forces and Corps,” said Florentino Villabona, Director of Integrity and Security at LaLiga.
The total activity of risk groups in Spain, typified as such by the State Commission against Violence, Racism and Xenophobia, is in itself one of the lowest globally, and has a downward trend.
The total violent actions and direct confrontations between members of risk groups in this season remain at the average of the previous ones. Of the total clashes between members of these groups, only 40%, less than half, take place in LaLiga matches.
The movements of risk groups also show a downward trend, falling by a third in the last five years (from 296 to 194).
Songs that incite violence and/or intolerance are one of the few actions that have increased (from around 50 complaints on average for past seasons to 99 this last year). This is due to the fact that the criteria regarding them have been further tightened.
A very close link has been found between intolerant songs and violent actions, which is why it has been considered imperative to work more intensively and prosecute all kinds of intolerant songs or actions or those that incite violence. Thus, every day LaLiga presents complaints against chants that incite violence and/or intolerance in LaLiga SmartBank and LaLiga Santander matches, also specifying the measures taken by the clubs, which are recommended to be especially strict in this area .
The LaLiga Security Directorate team insists on the importance of coordination between security teams, the unification of criteria and the sharing of information in order to achieve these positive results. On the one hand, LaLiga maintains a close collaboration that was established about 6 years ago with the National Police and the Association of Spanish Federations of Supporters Clubs (AFEPE), with whom it meets twice a year to unify criteria, coordinate, and share information. On the other hand, the collaboration with the clubs and their involvement has been further intensified, especially the coordination with the security directors of the clubs.