By Samindra Kunti
January 26 – Saint Petersburg will carry out a massive 11,000 police officers strong law enforcement operation during the 2018 World Cup when the city will host six matches, including one semi-final, to ensure the safety and security of travelling fans. To date supporters from around the world have requested more than 4 million tickets during the second sales window of World Cup tickets.
“On a daily basis, 11,000 people will be working; 4,500 others from attached forces will be operating in the city and help us preserve order. Volunteers, private security firms, and members of public policing organizations have also been engaged [in maintaining order during the FIFA World Cup 2018],” said Sergei Umnov, the head of the city’s police, during the St. Petersburg local parliament session.
Last year Saint Petersburg welcomed the Confederations Cup, including the opening match and the final, and the event passed off without any notable fan incidents. Russia asserted itself with tight security operations during the tournament, in particular when the president of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin attended the curtain raiser between Russia and New Zealand.
Organisers expect between 1 and 1.5 million fans during the four-week high mass of the game this summer. Fans remain keen on attending the World Cup, and with just days left until the second window of ticket sales for the tournament ends, more than 4 million tickets have been requested, belying FIFA’s bad reputation, sponsorship worries and Russia’s status as antagonist on the world stage.
The official total 4,021,211 tickets requested second sales window ends on January 31. In the first sales phase 620,000 tickets were allocated. International applications account for 45% of ticket requests. From Europe, Germans, Spanish, Polish and Dutch fans have made the top ten of countries applying for tickets.
Fans can apply for individual match tickets for all games, except the opening match between Russia and Saudi Arabia and the final. Venue-specific and team-specific tickets can also be requested. All matches have enjoyed medium to high demand, except for Panama – Tunisia in Saransk.
All fans attending matches at the World Cup need to apply for a ‘FAN ID’ following a request from the Russian authorities. The special ID is designed with the purpose to keep hooligans out of the stadium and reduce the risk of fan violence to a minimum. At Euro 2016 Russian fans were involved in violent clashes with their English counterparts in Marseille ahead of the two countries’ group stage match.
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