SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

France to keep 'fan zones' at Euro2016 championships

PARIS (Reuters) - France plans to maintain public areas for thousands of soccer supporters to watch games on big screens at the European soccer championship next year despite security fears following the Paris attacks.

1 min read

Published

Updated

Source: Reuters


Skip to article content

Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said after a security briefing on Tuesday that security would be reinforced but "the popular dimension of this competition should not be penalised by the current context."

Sports minister Patrick Kanner said that with retention of the so-called fan zones "we want to tell the French people and...foreigners that everything is under control."

In Paris, the zone is expected to have a 120,000 capacity and will be situated on the Champs de Mars, below the Eiffel Tower.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

France has been in a state of emergency since coordinated attacks, claimed by Islamic State, on bars, restaurants, a concert hall and a soccer stadium killed 130 and injured over 350.

The Euro2016 finals will be played from June 10 to July 10 in 10 French cities: Paris, Saint-Denis, Lens, Lille, Bordeaux, Marseille, Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Toulouse and Nice.

(Reporting by Julien Pretot and Simon Carraud; Editing by Ralph Boulton)


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world