Government Reveals Costs Of Providing Security For Spanish Football Contests

Spain's Federal Police Union (UFP) estimated Monday that the cost for Spain for La Liga security materials was €10M ($13.1M), according to the EFE. The UFP has requested that clubs finance these services for private activities. UFP spokesperson Serafín Giraldo said, "We request that clubs finance their security privately, as already occurs in Spanish Cycling." Giraldo said that only Spain's security forces are capable of providing the stadium security "with guarantees and professionalism." The UFP made its calculation using the hours spent on high-risk football games by the Anti-violence Commission. In 380 games, 416,100 hours of labor have been devoted to security, costing a total of €7.5M ($9.8M). The remaining security costs come from security for games played in the Spanish Second Division and "inferior categories" (EFE, 6/3).