Nothing like this has ever been seen at this World Cup or any other. Saturday’s Portugal-Morocco match (3pm) was classified as a high-risk match by Qatar 2022 security and will have the largest police force ever seen in a World Cup match. Over 10,000 troops were mobilized for the game.
“To get an idea of the sheer size of the ongoing police operation, the number of resources involved is not comparable to any other operation conducted in Europe, for example,” PSP Inspector Ribeiro, who heads the Portuguese police in Doha, told DN, adding that in 36 years of service he had never seen such a massive security operation.
In a stadium with a capacity of 44,000 people, 20,000 supporters from Morocco with tickets are expected and about 10,000 without tickets, which is of particular concern to the organization. And according to DN, FIFA is considering making more tickets available for Moroccans.
The African team had never reached the quarter-finals, but triumphs against Belgium in the group stage and against Spain in the round of 16 generated a huge wave of support. the semifinals. This Friday alone, seven charter flights from Marrakesh to Doha sold out in an hour, and many more are expected on Saturday. Partly for this reason, the fan zones will therefore be viewed even more before and after the game.
The Portuguese have a ticket number of around a thousand and do not excite much, as happened in the four previous encounters🇧🇷 Only in the game against Switzerland was there an incident involving a Portuguese national, who was even arrested for “inappropriate behavior” and released after the Portuguese triumph (6-1), allowing the selection to reach the quarter-finals.
Souq Waqif, the historic area of Doha, has been the scene of some incidents involving Moroccan supporters and so the joint PSP and GNR police present in Qatar advise Portuguese supporters to avoid this place and try to walk in groups. If you are traveling to the stadium, preferably with Uber, avoid the subway.
Source: DN
