The image has toured the planet and raises many questions.
How, Tuesday evening, during the shock of the Euro between France and Germany, could a man enter the Allianz Arena in Munich in a microlight?
It is around 9 p.m., the 22 actors are on the lawn, ready to start the meeting, when an environmental activist lands on the ground using a microlight equipped with a parachute.
As he landed, he struck a cable supporting the aerial camera at the top of the stadium and injured a video technician and an official agent, according to our information on the spot.
The parachutist, whose sail showed the message "Kick out Oil" ("outside the oil"), is then arrested. On the images, we see that the Greenpeace activist grazes the bench of the players of the France team and almost crashed in the stands.
This Wednesday, the environmental organization said that the man in fact only wanted to "fly" over the stadium.
But the incident has something to question.
"It is very worrying indeed, incredible that it can happen", blows a source close to the file.
"This should not happen, we have the means to avoid that", also judges a European expert in charge of the security of major sporting events.
"There are orders prohibiting overflight but also jamming devices against drones," he continues.
For him, a Euro match is the equivalent of a Champions League match in terms of security, with at least more than 1,000 people mobilized.
"He could have killed himself or injured even more people"
The pilot's plan "was to fly over the stadium and drop a latex balloon" with the message "Kick out Oil", according to a spokesperson. "Technical difficulties forced him to land in the stadium," according to a statement posted on the association's website. Snipers could also have fired and were in place but they did not budge when they saw that it was Greenpeace, reports the German daily Bild.
For the expert contacted by Le Parisien, who wishes to remain anonymous, “the man must have taken off from a fairly close aerodrome.
However, in the safety devices, we normally prevent any take-off from the aerodromes of the regions concerned.
I don't know if they saw it coming, it must have been flying very low, but we have the means to prevent it from happening.
I have never seen this!
», He analyzes.
Read also France-Germany: what we know about the ULM which missed its landing before the match
The driver of the ULM, a 38-year-old man residing in the German region of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany, escaped the landing unscathed before being arrested.
“He was, in quotes, only an activist, but he could have been a terrorist.
He could have killed himself or injured even more people, ”our expert worries.
According to this specialist, another major lever may have failed: that of intelligence.
“This man may have been known to the services.
We know that during events of this magnitude, where personalities can be in the gallery, there are always people who want to take advantage of them to be heard.
This is why the stadiums are inspected by the police several weeks before the competition.
Can't believe I just caught this on video.
Parachuted into the stadium, got caught in the spider cam and nearly crashed into the crowd.
Hope he's ok!
#GERFRA # EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/PJ49WYdFM9
- Max Merrill (@MaxMerrill_) June 15, 2021
An investigation has been opened for "several offenses" falling under both criminal law and legislation on air transport, which strictly limits the possibilities of overflight, the police said in a press release. “One thing is certain, there was a breach even if the Germans are doing a good job,” concludes our expert in international sporting events. UEFA condemned a "reckless act" and the German Federation (DFB) deemed the action "unacceptable". "We are sorry that the protest action did not go as planned" and "regret that people were endangered and injured," added the spokesperson.
UEFA could now ask the German authorities to account for the anticipation of this risk from the sky. It is also about ensuring that this does not happen in other stages. “The organization in several countries complicates things a bit because you have to have the same level of security in Baku as in London. But on the other hand, countries have fewer matches to secure each, ”concludes our expert.
