Image: Hörmandinger Reinhard
The journey begins in Linz and at the end it will be clear whether Austria’s national soccer team will take part in Euro 2024 in Germany. It has been more than ten years since the ÖFB team last played a match in Linz, and now the team is finally returning to the steel city.
The first qualifying opponent is called Azerbaijan and the new stadium will be packed with more than 17,000. The Linz police are well prepared for the game. Around 170 officers will be responsible for security in and around the Raiffeisen Arena, says Michael Hubmann, the deputy commander of the Linz City Police in an interview with nachrichten.at
For the police, Friday is not about a risky game. “We hope for a football festival,” says Hubmann. 100 to 120 away fans are expected, mainly Azerbaijanis who have been in Vienna and Upper Austria for a long time. The home fans, on the other hand, come from all corners of the country to fill the ranks. However, only members of the official fan clubs accredited by the ÖFB are allowed to sit on the LASK grandstand.
However, the police do not expect hooligans who are ill-disposed towards LASK and therefore want to wantonly damage the new stadium.
Arrival by public transport recommended
The traffic situation in Linz will probably be more critical. “We strongly recommend traveling by public transport,” says Hubmann. The ÖFB ticket entitles you to use Linz public transport. If you can’t do without a car, it’s best to park your car in an inner-city parking garage and drive to the stadium by public transport.
Around 1,300 parking spaces are available in the city center at a reduced special rate of 3.20 euros (for the entire parking period). Specifically, this offer applies to the following five garages: Garage at the train station, Raiffeisen Garage Südbahnhof, City Parkhaus (Betlehemstraße), Garage in the center (Dametzstraße) and Elisabeth Garage (Elisabethstraße).
By the way, the “Riverdance” show starts in the Tips Arena three quarters of an hour before kick-off (8:45 p.m.). OÖN offers an extra service for visitors to this cultural event: for EUR 4.50 you can park in the underground car park of the Promenaden Galerien (from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m.) and take bus lines 26 and 27 to and from the show .
Source: Nachrichten
