Instead "stadium villages"

No fan marches to the Cup final at Lake Wörthersee

The organizers also want to prevent pyro shows like last year in the stands this time at the new edition of the Cup final.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

Safety first when around 30,000 fans come to Klagenfurt on May 1 for the big soccer thriller.

Summit meeting in terms of security just two weeks before the big soccer cup final in the "28 Black Arena" in Klagenfurt: police, ÖFB, club representatives, event authorities and the security company deployed in and in front of the stadium came together to discuss and coordinate the procedures surrounding the match between Sturm Graz and Rapid Vienna at Lake Wörthersee.

This year, there will be no marches by soccer supporters around the stadium in Klagenfurt.(Bild: APA/GERT EGGENBERGER)

A kind of déjà vu, even if there are some changes compared to last year. "In contrast to 2023, there will be no registered fan marches this year, neither from Graz nor Vienna supporters," said police spokesperson Dominik Sodamin from the Carinthia Police Department to the Krone. Which should reassure local residents in particular.

The primary goal of the approximately 1000 police officers on duty is, among other things, to prevent contact between the two fan camps as much as possible.

Dominik Sodamin, Landespolizeidirektion Kärnten

Instead, separate fan villages, including catering, will be set up in front of the respective sectors (Sturm on the south side of the stadium this time, Rapid on the north side) for both camps. "There will be hardly any points of contact between the supporters," says Sodamin. This could be helped by the fact that the Vienna fans will travel to the main station in ÖBB special trains or in buses via the S6, and the Graz supporters will be guided to the stadium via the Südautobahn.

Stricter pyrotechnics controls
To ensure that everything runs smoothly and without contact, around 1000 police officers from various federal states and units will once again be on duty this year. And even though the spectacular pictures of the fireworks in the stadium stands went around the world last year, those responsible want to be more rigorous this year when it comes to pyrotechnics - and carry out stricter checks on access. Sodamin: "Fortunately, nothing happened last year, but the risk is simply too great!"