The FIFA Club World Cup wraps with Sunday’s finals matchup between Paris Saint-Germain F.C. and Chelsea F.C. The work for the security team begins much earlier to make MetLife Stadium one of the safest places in the nation.
The existing security protocol will be heightened even further to meet Secret Service standards as President Donald Trump announced this week that he will be attending the match.
A local security expert tells News 12 that despite the extra attention and potentially increased wait times in line, it’s a benefit for fan safety.
“In this current climate and what we've seen in the last year, I'm sure that the president's security has been increased exponentially,” said Brian Higgins, the retired police chief of Bergen County and founder of security company Group77. “Fans should know that that's a positive.”
Higgins worked at the Super Bowl in 2014 hosted at MetLife Stadium. His staff provided bomb technicians, tactical teams and EMS. He said task forces are constantly updating protocol after learning from similar events. Higgins mentioned the chaos last year in Miami when ticketless fans rushed the gates at the Copa America.
As a result, fans nationwide at this year’s Club World Cup have observed extra checkpoints and a heavy police presence.
News 12 New Jersey will be at the finals match Sunday. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m., and MetLife Stadium is asking fans to be in their seats by 1:30 p.m. Parking opens at 10 a.m., NJ Transit rail service begins at 11, and gates open at 12 p.m.