National bodies must have security officers

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has re-iterated to Member Associations the need to appoint dedicated security officers to comply with FIFA safety regulations.

FIFA, via article 17 of its safety regulations, has made it compulsory on all MAs that a security officer be appointed by January 1 2009.

AFC has given its MAs until August 15 to provide the names and contact details of the person appointed to handle security and safety issues in stadiums.

The need for qualified security personnel was highlighted by stadium tragedies that afflicted the preliminary competitions of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany and the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.

In his letter to MAs last year, FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke wrote: “(The) security officer is to serve as the key interface for all issues relating to safety, security and stadiums and to be in a position to liaise and interact with FIFA, the respective confederation and the local authorities.

“This person shall be highly knowledgeable and experienced in sports security matters, preferably football, and shall not occupy any other function within the association.”

This year, FIFA and AFC combined to organise a security and safety conference in Kuala Lumpur for regional governing bodies in order to educate them on crucial aspects of stadium safety.