Images of stewards overwhelmed by free riders climbing the gates of the Stade de France on May 28, during the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid, have gone around the world. The next day, at the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium, stewards were again overwhelmed, this time by ultras from Saint-Etienne who invaded the lawn, some going so far as to launch smoke bombs in direct fire towards the stands.
Throughout the Ligue 1 season, the multiplication of incidents in stadiums has highlighted the difficulties faced by those who are improperly called “stewards” or “stadiers”. The people in fluorescent clothing who perform pat-downs at the entrance to sports arenas, check tickets, monitor access and supervise crowds are in fact security officers who carry out occasional missions in stadiums.
“In thirty years, the profession has become more professional. It is no longer students who do this to pay for their studies. To exercise this activity, it is necessary to hold the professional card of private security agent. specifies Stéphane Boudon, president of SNEPS-CFTC, the main trade union in the profession. This professional card is issued by the National Council for Private Security Activities (Cnaps), which depends on the Ministry of the Interior. Renewable every five years, it is obtained after one hundred and seventy-five hours of training.
“We are heading for a disaster”
The conditions for obtaining it have been tightened in recent years: in addition to a clean criminal record, you must now have been present for at least five years on French territory and master the French language to apply. “We are walking on our heads: we are tightening access to this profession when security companies are already unable to recruit”loose Mr. Boudon. “There is currently a shortage of between 10,000 and 20,000 stewards in France. We are sometimes obliged to bring them from Montpellier or Grenoble. We are heading for a disaster if things do not move.adds Xavier Pierrot, deputy general manager in charge of Groupama Stadium, in Lyon.
About 300,000 people hold a professional security guard card, but the number of stewards is impossible to estimate, as this is a side job for people working in other more permanent branches of private security, such as fire safety.
At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused the cancellation of many matches, many converted to other professions and are missing. The situation is all the more tense as those who have remained in security prefer to earn more by working on concerts.
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