Salzburg prepares unprecedented security for UEFA Super Cup

Nearly 30,000 spectators and an unprecedented organisational and security operation are expected in Salzburg on Wednesday for the football Super Cup between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa, ORF reported. The match will be held in Klessheim, where all traces of stadium tenant Red Bull have been covered.

Red Bull logos and club lettering have been removed or concealed, while UEFA signs have been installed throughout the stadium. Steel barriers surround the grounds, and nobody, from stewards to kitchen staff, may enter without accreditation.

Stadium managing director Stephan Reiter said Red Bull had experience organising events, but the scale of the UEFA operation was impressive. Almost 4,000 accreditations have been issued for employees working on match day.

The match is also a major challenge for Salzburg police. State police director Bernhard Rausch said the threat of terrorism had to be considered, particularly since explosives were detonated outside the Stade de France before the France-Germany international in 2015.

Recent drone incidents at Leipzig Airport in Germany had also shown how real the threat was, Rausch said. He described the current terrorism threat as “abstractly high” and said appropriate precautions were necessary. Police will use drones for surveillance and to counter other drones.

Authorities are also prepared for possible visits by prominent guests, including French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron and Prince William, who have been invited to the match. Rausch said their actual attendance was unlikely, but Salzburg police had extensive experience managing state visits and accompanying prominent figures during the city’s festival season.

Police will not disclose the number of officers deployed for operational reasons.