Special protection for the UEFA Youth League Finals in Nyon
The UEFA Youth League is the Champions League of U-19 youth teams. As with the adult players, these young men also play against other European clubs – in this case, U-19 teams – and compete to win the championship in the final round in Nyon with semi-finals and finals at the end of April. This year, Benfica Lisboa played FC Salzburg in the final. Securitas ensured the safety and security of the Stade de Colovray with its proven event services, while Securiton was there with its SecuriDrone drone detection system.
From 21 to 25 April 2022, four of the best junior teams in European club football met in the final phase of the UEFA Youth League in Nyon on Lake Geneva. Atlético Madrid, Benfica Lisboa, Juventus Turin and FC Salzburg played in the semi-finals on 22 April, before the winner was chosen in the final on Monday, 25 April. The score was 6-0 to Benfica – an emphatic win against Salzburg.
Stars of tomorrow
The UEFA Youth League provides players with valuable on-pitch experience, but they also have plenty of opportunities to develop beyond that. This applies in particular to the four teams in the final rounds. During their stay in Switzerland, they took part in training events and dedicated themselves to social initiatives, which are intended to contribute to the team spirit and sense of fair play within the teams. In its nine-year history, the Youth League has produced some of the best-known names in European football. To date, 816 Youth League players have also competed in top club competitions, including names such as João Félix (Atlético Madrid), Leroy Sané (Bayern Munich), Andreas Christensen (Chelsea), Munir El Haddadi (Sevilla) and Mason Mount (Chelsea), to name but a few.
Proven security services
From 21 to 25 April 2022, Securitas’ Geneva regional office provided professional event security services in and around the Colovray Stadium in Nyon. Securitas safety specialists were deployed to monitor the stadium and its environs on the training days and two days of semi-finals and final, and security specialists patrolled the site. The 90 Securitas employees were on duty at the public entrances, checking for unauthorised items and managing crowd flows. A command centre was deployed on the days of the semi-finals and final, from which all the operations were coordinated.
Keeping drones at bay
In addition to the security services provided by Securitas AG, another security specialist from the Swiss Securitas Group, Securiton AG, saw action on the two final days. It was tasked with preventing drones from entering the stadium, which it did using its SecuriDrone security solution. At the 2020 UEFA Youth League Finals, a drone managed to fly over the stadium and take unauthorised photos and videos. Securiton set up its advanced drone detection system to protect the strictly regulated transmission rights and avoid delays to the matches. This passive system works without radar, so it does not require a Federal Office of Communication permit, nor does it interfere with wireless internet or mobile communications, etc. SecuriDrone detects the intrusion of a drone and locates the pilot, enabling intervention to move the drone to a controlled landing. After the event, UEFA’s security manager praised the professionalism and excellent services rendered by the Securitas Group.
