Security in Bergamo was tightened on Wednesday ahead of Thursday night’s Conference League play-off tie between Atalanta and Hapoel Tel Aviv, with about a thousand Israeli fans expected to travel for the match.
The operation has put fan movement and stadium access under closer control, while the measures in place are said to be the same as those used for major European matches already hosted in Bergamo. The focus is on keeping the build-up calm and orderly before La Dea’s stadium stages another high-profile night.
Security steps already in place
A meeting was held at police headquarters on Tuesday, before a wider security summit took place at the prefecture on Wednesday morning. That timeline underlines how closely the authorities have worked around the fixture, with the match treated as one that needs a detailed and co-ordinated response.
For a Conference League play-off tie of this kind, the priority is not only what happens inside the ground but also how supporters arrive, move and enter the stadium. In Bergamo, that has meant a setup designed to manage the expected crowd safely and avoid disruption around the venue.
The backdrop around the ground
The build-up has also been marked by protest activity. The Global Sumud Flotilla projected “Boycott Israel” onto the outside of the ground, turning the match into more than a sporting occasion for some outside the stadium.
The group said it was making “a gesture of light against the genocide in Gaza,” and added: “You can watch a football match, not a genocide.” It also argued that “Boycotting Israel is no longer a political option among others: it is a humanitarian necessity, a moral duty towards the Palestinian people, who are paying with their lives for international silence and complicity,” while saying that “every football match encourages the normalization of violence, every trade deal is complicity.”
Another line from the group called for “an economy of peace, not war,” underlining the political tension surrounding the fixture. Even so, the match itself remains the central sporting event, with Atalanta and Hapoel Tel Aviv due to meet on Thursday night under the kind of security operation Bergamo has already used for major European matches.
