Last but not least: Boulevard serves fan control

The population will have to live in a state of emergency during the EURO 08 European soccer championship, he said. For this reason, a 3.2-kilometer-long fan boulevard will be set up in Basel, extending from the Badischer Bahnhof train station through the city center to the SBB train station. Fans without tickets will be able to watch the games on large screens in several places. It is expected that 50,000 fans will be present every day. The fan boulevard is to be strikingly marked, with canopies, hanging towers and attractions. The whole thing is expected to cost five to ten million Swiss francs - and sponsors will be allowed to finance it. One of the major advantages, however, is already clear to Basel's security director Hanspeter Gass: during the football extravaganza, there is an increased need for basic security. Thanks to the fan boulevard, fans would move along controlled lanes and squares.