The European Championship quarter-final between Iceland and France was not the only notable event held at the Stade de France on 3 July 2016. The Council of Europe also staged an opening ceremony that day for signatories to a new convention designed to provide “a safe, secure and welcoming environment at football matches and other sports events”.
France was one of the member states who signed up and the legally binding international treaty took its name from the location of the ceremony. The Saint-Denis convention was born. The irony of France’s public commitment and the convention’s name will not be lost on anyone affected by the chaos outside the Stade de France before, during and after Saturday’s Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid.
