Geneva- Tiny Switzerland with a population of 7.5 million is steeling itself for the arrival of an estimated total of 5.4 million football fans expected to turn out for Euro 2008 throughout June. Against a backdrop of a rising tide of hooliganism in Switzerland, this single event poses a major security headache for the country's authorities.
A small army of 15,000 soldiers will be drafted in to help regular police as part of 64-million-Swiss-franc (52-million-dollar) security operation next June.
Up to 200 experts have helped draw up the so-called 3D security concept based on dialogue, de-escalation and drastic action while involving a combination of military, police and private security firms.
The military will help protect buildings and survey Swiss air space but will not be used to confront fans. The federal Government is working closely with tournament co-hosts Austria and hopes it can also rely on support from French, German and Italian police to provide much needed back up when the tournament gets underway on June 7.
As far as security was concerned, Sports Minister Samuel Schmid told a press conference "the penny had dropped" although there was still work to be done.
The minister wanted to see "discreet but effective" measures in place.
"This will be a test for our federal system," he said, referring to the cooperation required between police, border guards and soldiers, at canton and national level.
The key areas of risk apart from the stadia, are stations, airports and the public viewing areas where giant screens are to be put up showing the games live for the estimated 4 million non-ticket holders.
They are expected to swell the ranks of the one million fans with the benefit of a seat at one of the four venues in Basel, Berne, Zurich, and Geneva.
Hooliganism has been on the rise in recent years in Switzerland. Around 100 people were injured in one of the country's darkest sporting moments, when trouble flared following the final of the Swiss football championships in Basel in May 2006 between the local team and FC Zurich.
The writing was on the wall. In January the country's new anti-hooliganism legislation came into force setting up a national database of known trouble-makers, and introducing stadium bans and travel restrictions accompanied by increased police powers.
The measures will remain in place until the end of 2009, the year the world ice hockey championships are due to be held in Zurich and Berne.
In the same month representatives from sports federations and cantons agreed to a zero tolerance approach to hooliganism and signed a declaration of cooperation to crackdown.
Security preparations are seen as ongoing and much will not be decided until after the match draw in Lucerne this December, according to Schmid.
It may be a security nightmare, but the sports minister knows as well as anyone that co-hosting what he has called "the third biggest sporting event on the planet" is an adman's dream.
Switzerland had to balance the need for security with being seen as a "perfect host," said Schmid as he unveiled his security strategy back in March.
"We want to have parties, not be part of a fortress."
