Statement by the Minister of Interior Saimir Tahiri on the measures taken on the occasion of the match of the national football team, as part of the elimination rounds for the European Football Championship:

The next 24 hours will be an important test not only for our national team, but for every citizen, no matter how little or much interested they are in football and not only.

State police and all law enforcement institutions are totally committed to make sure that tomorrow’s match will be a celebration of civilization, worthy of Albania and the Albanian citizen, here at home or abroad, and of course of our national team.

In this context, the Border Police has taken measures at all border points to monitor the passage of all citizens, particularly of those who travel to watch the game tomorrow.

Information has been exchanged intensively with partners in the region and the European Union, as well as with the Albanian Football Federation, UEFA and FIFA, for putting together and monitoring the list of persons with previous history of violent acts or acts of hooliganism during sports activities.

Right in this moment, this list has been made available to the Border Police and to all structures of the State Police, in order to not allow these people entry the territory of the Republic of Albania, or if they have already entered it or live here, to constantly monitor them, and in all cases to prevent them from accessing the stadium Elbasan Arena and the surrounding areas.

Structures that are fighting crime across the country will be engaged for monitoring and tracking any information on possible incidents that could affect the tomorrow’s sports activity.

Plainclothes officer will be in all places where there will be groups of people and fans, on the roads, but also in the stadium.

Order and Traffic Police Forces in Albania are fully committed to ensuring public order and safety in any public setting, and monitoring all of the roads across the country, but especially the roads leading to Elbasan and Elbasan Arena.

The entire structure of the flying squad, RENEA and the Anti-terror Unit is engaged and on alert starting from today, in order to prevent any threat to public order, to support other police structures, in addition to being ready to intervene as soon as public order and safety are compromised.

Extreme measures have been taken to ensure the safety of the visiting team. In this context, part of the RENEA Department is engaged along with the State Police exclusively for this purpose.

In order to ensure tomorrow’s match, starting form today, over 2,300 police forces will be involved mainly in Tirana and Elbasan, while all the tools and infrastructure of the State Police will be permanently available.

Despite periodic reports of the State Police about the measures taken, mandatory for ensuring tomorrow’s match, the biggest challenge is the commitment of all of us, all together, to give an example of the values and civilization that have been and are our historical foundations on which our society was raised and evolves.

Tomorrow’s is just a football match.

And despite our emotions for the national team, the most important match is the one taking place off the field.

If the field there will be 11 players of team playing together with the 11 players of the visiting team, all of us have a role and a task to play off the green pitch.

Every citizen who is aware of the importance and the duty that we have to give an example of civilization, plays a role in our common effort to ensure that this football game will really be just that; just a football game, and thus, a sports celebration, worthy of Albania and our team.

The federation, the coach and our national team are engaged to have the game, to have football win in the field. Our most important match off the field, our biggest challenge is to do everything possible to give our national team a celebration of civilization and best statement of values which have educated each of us, in every family, from south to north.

Therefore, we have the duty to try all together and defend our values, without allowing sports emotions become a threat to civilization and our values.

Football and the game will certainly be the winner in the field. But the biggest victory is that off the field. For our values as a society worthy to join the values of the great family of the European Union, and for this each of us has a key role to play.

Therefore, I want to take this opportunity to call on every citizen to cooperate with the State Police, inform about everything that can, even remotely, threaten the celebration atmosphere before, during and after tomorrow’s game, and above all anything that could threaten our values which we protect only by engaging altogether at our utmost.

In these 24 hours, we have the opportunity to show ourselves and the strength of civilization and of our values, while supporting and respecting the visiting team, but above all, while supporting Albania and our values as Albania along with our national team.

Thank you.