Germany will have a huge police operation in place to safeguard Euro 2024 but fans should go out and enjoy the tournament, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has said.
Faeser, whose portfolio includes sport, told Deutschlandfunk radio that the June 14-July 14 Euros in 10 German cities would be "a huge effort in terms of manpower deployment.
"We will have 22,000 federal police officers on duty every day just for the European Football Championships," she said.
Faeser said threat scenarios at the Euros included individuals acting on their own, like last week in the city of Mannheim where a police officer was stabbed to death by an Afghan immigrant.
Faeser said that security was the top priority in her function but she also told everyone to make the most of the tournament.
"That's something I say to everyone in Germany: look forward to the tournament. Go to it," she said.
Faeser said the Euros should bring about "a more carefree time, where we can enjoy our national team again and perhaps not always think about the worst things that are currently playing a certain role in foreign and domestic politics."
