Security in events - FIFA Confederation Cup

Success in gatherings depends critically on security. A little under a million spectators attend the FIFA Confederations Cup. A tight security detail is required to control the crowd, and it may be handled directly or by a third party. The study will concentrate on overcoming the safety challenges and dealing with independent contractors.

The FIFA Confederation will draw a sizable audience of passionate spectators who come to the event with various expectations. Given the different game outcomes, they represent a security risk in situations of violent behavior. Given how lucrative and expensive sporting events are, it is crucial to strike a balance between the fan experience and safety. Violence would not only affect the fans through injuries, the players but also corporate bodies. The occurrence would see the morale of players going down; fans would no longer be interested in going to watch games live and loss of potential funding.

Terrorism threats have been on the rise in the past years, and people are skeptical of a repeat of occurrences such as the 9/11 (Baklouti, & Namsi, 2013). The huge crowd attending FIFA could be a key target for terrorist activities which would endanger the lives of people. The impact of a terror attack is felt by the country as it will be viewed as a threat to the world.

Weather poses a significant risk such as the Hurricane Katrina whose impact would be felt by the entire crowd. Such would mean possible loss of life, panic, and a desperate situation in the arena. The security team would need to evacuate people to safety areas against such natural disasters.

Overcoming security challenges

Creating awareness to the fans in advance of the actual day ensures that people know they are expected to be orderly during the games. Alcohol poses a risk to irrational thinking, making people know this would marginally reduce the possible risk.Reinforcing security against terrorism would call for the use of technology and advanced innovation. Cameras used should not leave black spots which are windows of risk and thus the event would not be a target. Each individual entering the arena should be thoroughly screened (Forest, 2006).

Understanding the weather predictions is key when determining the dates of events. However, given these are natural disasters, it is key to create structures that are strong to handle weather challenges. It would eliminate the need to evacuate people as they would only be moved to the safe zones.

Pros and Cons of Hiring an Independent Contractor

Hiring an independent contractor would mean that safety issues are handled by people that understand all the dynamics of security. The contractor is liable to taking all reasonable care to secure the place and is unlikely to omit details from the contract (Windholz, 2016). However, what is reasonable in the event of a safety risk is subject to the interpretation of the court at the time. Hiring the contractor does not remove all the security issues from the hands of the organizers, and they, therefore, have to be actively engaged on security matters. This adds to the cost and time that would have been minimized if security was handled internally. There is the risk of hiring a contractor that is not competent, and therefore proper due diligence should be done and an indemnification clause included in the agreement (Schwarz, Hall, & Shibli, 2015).

Conclusion

Security during the FIFA Confederation is paramount to prevent violent crowds, terror attacks and to stay guarded against the weather. Though hiring an independent contractor brings in professionals it does not transfer the burden of security in its entirety.

References

Baklouti, M., & Namsi, Z. (2013). Security Models in Mega Sports Events between Safety and Human Rights (Case of Vancouver 2010). The Sports Journal, 19(1). http://dx.doi.org/ISSN: 1543-9518

Forest, J. (2006). Homeland security (1st ed.). Westport, Conn.: Praeger Security International.

Schwarz, E., Hall, S., & Shibli, S. (2015). Sport facility operations management (1st ed.). London: Routledge.

Windholz E. (2016) “Securing Health and Safety at Major Sporting Events” Sports Law eJournal,ISSN 1836-1129.