Euro 2016: Victory parade to be scrapped over terror fears if France beat Portugal in final
Ground-to-air missiles and special forces prepared to protect fans at the biggest sporting event in France this century
FEARS of terrorist attacks means there will be no victory parade if France wins the Euro 2016 final in Paris today.
It came as ground-to-air missiles and special forces prepared to protect fans and players at the biggest sporting event in the country this century.
Police chief Michel Cadot cancelled the potential celebrations in advance as he deployed 5000 officers around key venues on Sunday.
Heavily armed officers will be at fan zones and the Stade de France, where France take on Portugal this evening.
But Mr Cadot said a victory parade pencilled in for the start of the new week is "not possible, we cannot allow big crowds to circulate freely on Monday."
Mathias Vicherat, the Paris mayor’s chief of staff, meanwhile said he was confident there was otherwise enough police to ensure public safety.
Vicherat said: "We have an extremely favourable ratio of one officer for fewer than 50 spectators, so it is an extremely high standard."
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Islamic state gunmen and suicide bombers murdered 130 people in a single evening around Paris last November, and there are constant fears of a repeat, said Mr Cadot.
France remains under a State of Emergency, and everything possible is being done to stop large crowds gathering.
This means that Sunday will be a major headache, as thousands take to the streets on what was set to be one of the hottest days of the year.
Briefing on security measures at his headquarters in the city, Mr Cadot said there would be 3400 officers on the Champs Elysee alone.
The world famous avenue was the scene of mass celebrations in 1998, when Les Bleus beat Brazil at the Stade de France to become World Champions.
Islamic State has already threatened the Stade, where three bombers struck in November, killing one man.
Some 80,000 people will also be gathering in front of screens in a giant fan zone next to the Eiffel Tower today.
Mistral infrared missiles will be placed on rooftops nearby, and on prominent hills in the city near tourist spots such as the Sacre Coeur basilica in Montmartre.
Dozens of police snipers will also be in strategic positions, along with sniffer dogs, and squads of CRS riot control officers.
Fast patrol boats will also be operating on the Seine, just in case terrorists try to attack from river.
All fans will be searched, screened and questioned by hundreds of police officers and private security guards.
Anti-terror officers fear that Isis may again try to hit soft targets with suicide bombers or lone wolf gunmen.
Isis has threatened the whole of Euro 2016, in the wake of their murderous on onslaught on Paris last November.
The Euro 2016 security operation has been one of the biggest for a football tournament in the world ever.
The France and Portugal squads are seen as potential targets, so an elite police unit will protect the players.