Case Study
Threat monitoring for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2019
- Security Risk Management
- Sport and Major Events Risk Management
Threat monitoring for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2019
The situation
A major rights holder sought Control Risks’ support for 24/7 security services before and during its presence in France for the FIFA 2019 Women’s World Cup, which took place across nine cities in the summer of 2019.
As part of our comprehensive support, Control Risks provided threat monitoring support and updates throughout the lead-up to and during the event.
Control Risks’ approach
Control Risks worked with the client and the client’s own intelligence resources to develop a format and schedule for briefings and updates to meet its requirements, as well as to support Control Risks’ own tactical security operations on the ground. Ahead of the event, Control Risks’ France analyst also participated in the FIFA stadium tour – alongside some of the client’s members of staff from security and production – to assess the security environment and implications for the client on the ground.
During all stages of the client’s operations, Control Risks’ France analyst provided monitoring and ad hoc briefings on major incidents impacting the security environment in France, as well as weekly briefings covering the nine event cities and national-level updates in the months prior to the event. Once the client was operational on the ground in France in late May, our France analyst provided daily updates through to the end of the event in early July.
The monitoring provided actionable information and analysis on concluded incidents and upcoming events potentially impacting the client’s personnel and activities, including security, logistical, travel and infrastructure developments.
The outcome
Given the relevant events and issues of concern over the course of the event, Control Risks’ updates to the client focused on the categories of:
- Protests/civil unrest
- Strikes
- Terrorism
- Crime
As protest activity (particularly by the gilets jaunes (Yellow Vests)) created a potential threat to safety as well as operational disruptions, Control Risks provided detailed descriptions and maps of anticipated protest locations, as well as police measures in place – particularly in Paris. The updates provided practical, actionable advice for the client’s personnel to follow, and our analyst worked directly with the client’s own intelligence-gathering resources on a daily basis to support operations with on-the-ground insight and local expertise.
Supported by our risk monitoring and security expertise, the client had a successful event with no major incidents.
Client feedback
The support provided by our France analyst throughout all stages of the project received particular praise from the client’s personnel for its thoroughness and relevance:
“[Control Risks’ France analyst’s] reporting was vital to our operations—both tactically and strategically. She was always willing to listen to our guidance to better tailor the information to [our] scope and brand. Since the outset of planning and preparation, [she] demonstrated a keen ability to adjust to emerging intel requirements (frequently on short notice). Her reports were critical for our GSOC operators/security staff…Her fluency in both English and French were vital for understanding the cultural, political and social dynamics of France.”