Man City is "taking steps to make the Etihad Stadium bombproof as Premier League clubs beef up security in response to the risk of a terrorist strike," according to Keegan & Gaughan of the London DAILY MAIL. Hundreds of windows at the club's glass-fronted home have reportedly "been fitted with a film which prevents panes from shattering in an explosion." Permission to drive outside the 55,000-capacity stadium "has also been removed." Cars were "previously permitted to drive down one side of the Etihad," with the club shop situated at the opposite end of the ground from the main entrance. That is "now forbidden, even for staff." Man City "declined to comment" (DAILY MAIL, 2/16). In London, Wally Downes Jr. reported Man City "followed in the footsteps" of ManU, which "ramped up" its security earlier in the season after the Premier League "wrote to all 20 clubs advising them to be extra vigilant against the threat of terrorism." The warning was given "in the wake of the Berlin market Christmas terror attack that left 12 people dead and 56 injured" and the "devastating" bomb attacks outside Turkish side Besiktas' Vodafone Arena that left 44 people dead in December (THE SUN, 2/17).
