When Cristiano Ronaldo saw a child running towards him during the Turkey-Portugal match, he flashed an unexpected smile. He opened his arms to invite a hug and welcomed the boy, 10-year-old Berat, as if he weren’t in the middle of a European Championship match. Berat hugged CR7, took a photo with him and, lovingly, ran off the fieldMinutes later, another fan had the same idea as Berat, this one without the childish sparkle in his eyes. He was a young adult, with the same goal: to take a photo with Ronaldo. The captain didn’t like it, especially when he put his arm around his neck.

Nor did he like it when a third fan entered the field during a corner kick. And another during a play. And another, and another. In total, six fans invaded the lawn of Signal Iduna Park, in Dortmund, during Portugal’s victory against Turkey. Four of the invasions occurred during the match, two of them after the final whistle. But still, this is not the record for Euro 2024: In the match between Croatia and Albania, on the second day of Group B, there were seven (!) fans on the pitch, all of them after the match had already finished. With the ball rolling, this brand truly belongs to Portugal.

The total of scares: According to (unofficial) reports from the Observer, at least 27 pitch invasions occurred in the 36 group stage matches played at this European Championship. This gives an average of one fan entering every 120 minutes, almost one per game. Portugal and Albania were the most “sanctioned” teams, with field invasions in all matches, although in the first and last matches they only occurred after the referee’s final whistle. And one of them could have had serious consequences: Gonçalo Ramos was run over by a security guard who slipped while running to stop another invasion after finishing the match against Turkey. The Portuguese striker came out limping and had to be evaluated by the medical department. A fan could also have been seriously injured (and injured Ronaldo) when he threw himself from the top of the pitch access tunnel roof at the Arena Auf Schalke stadium at the end of the Georgia-Portugal match. A fall of more than three meters that left number seven speechless.

Security made a last-minute save to stop a fan from reaching Cristiano Ronaldo! ???? pic.twitter.com/hCDy0jeGRe

-EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) June 27, 2024

Given the absurd number of incidents and their increasing severity, UEFA was forced to make a statement, without confirming whether or not there was a request from the National Teams. The body that manages European football, and organizer of the competition, sent a statement to the editorial staff stating that, with “security being a priority”, “Additional security measures will be implemented in the stadiums to prevent these types of incidents.” Even so, the UEFA statement concludes that “for security reasons”, the changes made will not be revealed. But what are the security parameters used so far? El Observador spoke with fans and tells how to enter the Euro 2024 stadiums, either with a ticket or credential.

Save your ticket, take your ticket and the colored ribbons.

To understand the original measures and whether anything has changed in terms of security, we spoke to three different fans. One was at the first match against the Czech Republic in Leipzig; another in Dortmund against Turkey; and the last in Gelsenkirchen against Georgia. The conclusion is that nothing has changed in terms of access to the stadium and all three descriptions match. And three is really a significant number: There are three checkpoints from the moment a fan reaches the stadium perimeter until he or she sits in the stands. The first is carried out by volunteers, where a first “scan” of the code present on the ticket is carried out; in the second, the stewardessesprivate security guards, who also search the fans for prohibited objects; a third, already inside the stadium, next to the so-called “vomitoria” in the stands, where all you need to do is show your ticket.

But these three moments could turn into more: two of the fans told the Observer that when they left the stands to go to the bar or the bathroom, even inside the stadium, they always had to show their ticket again. “I remember at one point I even went out twice very close to each other and the security guard clearly remembered seeing me go out and come in. “I still had to show the ticket again.”says one of the Portuguese fans. Strict control of the entrances, but also control of the pyrotechnics. Another fan tells the Observer that people are identified even outside the stadium: “In Dortmund, during the procession to the stadium, fans identified along the way by pyrotechnics were notified at the stadium entrance. With those who used it inside it was even worse. We saw people consuming tobacco in the first half and at halftime the stewards They expelled them and handed them over to the authorities. Later we found out that they paid more than 2 thousand euros.”

Control is also carried out on “less serious” objects than these pyrotechnic elements. Euro 2024 has been prolific in humorous posters that are good for provocation among fans, adding colour to the atmosphere. From “Cod > Kebab” or “Leitão is better than a turkey”, there has been a bit of everything. Even music. Guilherme Costa left Lisbon to watch Georgia-Portugal in Gelsenkirchen. In the middle of his luggage he carried a poster where “Georgia on My Mind” was clearly written, but with the name of the country crossed out and replaced by “Portugal”. “Portugal on My Mind” replaced the title of Ray Charles’ 1960 song with a sense of humour. Even that did not escape him. “As soon as I walked in, two security guards saw me with the sign and pulled me to the right, leaving me to one side. One of them asked me what was written there, but the other one noticed right away and said, ‘Oh, it’s the Ray Charles song, no problem.’”says Guilherme. And only then was he able to enter with the strut, which was a success on television.

Guilherme Costa used a Ray Charles song to joke with the Georgians. The security guards, playing fair, let the sign into the stadium

The media are also under strict control. Ticket checkpoints – here accreditations – are fewer, just one. But it is stricter. In addition to the magazine produced by stewardesseswith palpation and metal detectors, an X-ray search is also carried out for stolen bags and equipment, as at the airport. If everything complies with security regulations, a coloured ribbon is placed on each bag and you end up with a nice collection of them. At the exit of the stadium, there is another difference for the fans: all media have to check their accreditation again, in a kind of check-out.

So what was done after UEFA said it would improve security following the invasions? And what about coach Roberto Martinez himself showing concern about the matter? There is no information from the organisation on the matter. Nor any perceptible change for the fans. None of them could understand if there was an increase in the number of stewardesses, not even television broadcasts allow conclusions to be drawn. Even so, one of the fans who spoke with El Observador, and who was at Turkey-Portugal, left a note: “Although there are many stewardesses, were between the bank and the advertising panels. In other words, as soon as someone jumped, he immediately ran away from them. At one point, after two or three invasions, they changed location. They were now located between the advertising panels and the touchline. It was more effective”Explain.

Fans invade the pitch to hug and take photos with Cristiano Ronaldo. Martínez worried: “The intentions can be bad”

In the knockout phase that started on Saturday, the test of fire is not only for the teams, it is also for UEFA. After a pitch invasion in the Champions League final and already 27 at Euro 2024, any problem can have a huge impact. Security at the Euro has always been a major concern for Germany and there has already been an attack on the Dutch fan zone. But what if on the pitch, innocent selfies take on another dimension?

Euro 2024: The attacks, the police response and Germany’s security plans