The Champions League final was an exciting feast for the two participating clubs, but for Roma, the host city, it was not merely an opportunity to stimulate economic growth. It was also a heavy responsibility.
Security was especially important!
It was not only the Roma municipal government that was paying close attention. Even the Italian government was extremely concerned.
Last October, an extreme Roma fan had tried to attack visiting supporters with a knife. After the police arrested him, there had been no more clashes or bloodshed at Olympic Stadium. This time, the Roma municipal government had also promised UEFA that there would absolutely be no further incidents of bloody conflict.
Therefore, before the final, Roma announced that the sale and presence of alcoholic beverages would be prohibited throughout the urban area.
In addition, not only had the entire police force of Roma been mobilized, Italy had also dispatched as many security forces as possible, including the Carabinieri, armed police, financial police, and local police. Every available force had been deployed throughout Roma, with more than a thousand additional security personnel specially added.
Thus, on the eve of the final, security personnel could be seen patrolling everywhere in Roma. They would stop suspicious individuals for questioning at any time, something that was practically impossible to see on ordinary days.
But even so, they still dared not be careless.
According to information released by the municipal government, Olympic Stadium could accommodate sixty-seven thousand fans, fifty thousand of whom had come from outside Italy, mainly from Spain and Germany. However, government figures showed that at least another ten thousand fans had arrived in Italy but were unable to enter the stadium.
In other words, ten thousand people would be wandering outside the stadium when the time came.
That was an absolutely terrifying