The blue cop on the lookout in Instanbul - and his warning to Manchester City fans
manchestereveningnews.co.ukChief Constable Mark Roberts has reason for the Champions League Final to be a success both on and off the pitch. He is National Lead for football policing and is determined City fans will have a safe journey to and from Istanbul as they chase the treble dream.
The ex-GMP officer is also a Blue. Now in charge of the Cheshire force, he will be at the sold-out game at the 70,000 capacity Ataturk Olympic Stadium of Saturday as gold commander for a contingent of British police officers - including a team from GMP - whose role will be to help ensure a trouble-free final as City take on Inter Milan.
Speaking from his office ahead of the game, where there is an Ajax pennant, Real Sociedad scarf, and a framed comment posted online by Russian hooligans about him - he urged City fans to respectful while in Turkey and travel in plenty of time to the stadium. Join our WhatsApp Top Stories and Breaking News group by clicking this link Last year he went to Qatar to advise police and security chiefs in advance of the World Cup in November, and made visits during the tournament.
It is hoped there is no repeat of the shocking scenes at last year's final Champions League final at the Stade de France in Paris when innocent Liverpool fans were left queuing for hours to try and get in and then sprayed with tear gas by French police.
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