Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Abu Dhabi: A Security and Safety Workshop was organised by the Pro League Committee of the United Arab Emirates (PLC) in collaboration with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) as part of the AFC League Development Programme in Abu Dhabi.
The two-day workshop, held on the back of earlier workshops and field visits to develop safety and security systems at stadiums, was conducted by AFC and UEFA representatives for security officers, club representatives and local police.
PLC Acting CEO Waleed Al Hosani, in his opening speech, said: “We all aspire to develop the safety and security systems in the country in general and in our competitions in particular. Through these workshops, we aim to train those involved in the stadiums’ security fields to deal with all safety, security and service challenges during matches.”
AFC Stadium Security Manager Shahin Rahmani presented on the roles and responsibilities of clubs, highlighting case histories of incidents that happened at stadiums and how they were handled.
Topics such as history of stadium disasters were also discussed and UEFA Consultants Gerald Westlake and Steve Frosdik presented on the lessons learned from previous disasters.
The workshop also touched on police practices in securing stadiums and the role they play in guaranteeing safety and security, especially with regards to the mechanisms of communication with the fans and engaging them in a way that reduces tensions that arise.
The second day of the workshop focused on the club licensing system, detailing the importance of licensing regulations in enforcing security and safety in stadiums. Rahmani highlighted the standard of infrastructure based on the criteria where clubs playing in AFC competitions are required to have safety certificates, an approved evacuation plan and a security and safety strategy.
The UEFA Consultants ended the workshop by explaining the importance of putting together a national strategy to achieve safety and security objectives based on a number of key criteria such as government leadership, adopting an approved mechanism for security, communication with fans and a media and communication strategy.
Reviewing and developing the relevant documents was also a main part of the programme where all stadium regulations, club licensing criteria and security regulations were completed and will be implemented by the PLC for the 2017-2018 season.
Photo: UAEFA