At 8.30pm today in Bergamo, Atalanta will face Hapoel Tel Aviv in the first leg of the Conference League qualifiers, Europe's third most important club competition. As often happens in cases like this, the presence of an Israeli team and its supporters has drawn major attention, and authorities have put exceptional security measures in place.
For some time, a broad movement of ordinary people, politicians and associations has been calling for Israel to be excluded from international competitions, as a consequence of the massacres carried out in the Gaza Strip and its role in other ongoing wars. In Bergamo too, some organisations have called for the match to be cancelled and have organised various forms of peaceful protest.
The match will take place at the New Balance Arena, Atalanta's stadium, and in recent days officials have held several meetings at both police headquarters and the prefecture to organise public security. A total of 350 officers will be deployed, according to Corriere della Sera, which cites unofficial figures. The interior ministry has also allowed reinforcements to arrive from other cities, as well as the use of a helicopter and anti-drone equipment.
Enac, the National Civil Aviation Authority, has also issued a NOTAM, "Notice to air mission", a special notice to pilots imposing a ban on any aircraft flying over the stadium, including drones. The ban began as early as the afternoon of Wednesday 19 August and will remain in force until the stadium is empty.
Entry to the stadium will also come under tighter surveillance. Police headquarters asked Atalanta to increase the number of assistants at the entrances and step up checks on banners and flags, including Palestinian ones, which have been banned. The Israeli team have been in the city since Tuesday, while about 1,000 supporters are expected to arrive today at Bergamo airport and from there will be escorted directly to the stadium's Curva Sud.