Budapest, May 27 (IANS) Hungary is preparing for one of the largest public security and urban transport operations in its recent history ahead of Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final between Arsenal and defending champion Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest.
Nearly 4,000 police officers will be deployed across the Hungarian capital, while around 800 flight movements, some 100,000 visiting fans, expanded public transport services and intensified traffic control measures are expected as the city braces for what authorities have described as a “high-risk event,” reports Xinhua.
Speaking at a joint press conference, Hungary’s deputy national police chief Zoltan Janos Kuczik said supporters of PSG and Arsenal had each purchased more than 17,000 tickets for the final. Police estimate that tens of thousands more fans are expected to travel to Budapest without tickets.
Kuczik said security preparations had begun more than a year ago. Hungarian police have been working closely with authorities in London and Paris, while officers also travelled to Munich last year and earlier this season to observe security operations at Champions League matches.
“This will be the largest single-day police deployment in Hungary’s history,” Kuczik said.
Vilmos Szabo, the Hungarian Football Federation’s director of international and organizational affairs, said that in addition to the official Champions Festival and fan zone near Heroes’ Square, separate designated fan zones had been established for supporters of the two clubs in an effort to reduce security risks.
Katalin Valentinyi, deputy CEO for corporate communications and government relations at Budapest Airport, said the airport expected around 2,000 flight movements and approximately 250,000 passengers between Friday and Sunday, about double the normal traffic volume.
The Champions League final between Arsenal and PSG will kick off on Saturday at 18:00 CEST at Puskas Arena.
–IANS
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