Police have increased security measures 48 hours before Friday's football match between Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah. Ali Bin Mohammad Al-Sa'di Al-Ghamdi, Director of Jeddah Police, said the police presence inside and around the stadium has been raised, and checkpoints have been set up at the stadium gates to search for prohibited materials. Al-Ghamdi said officers would be present among spectators and that no unauthorized presence in the stadium would be permitted during or after the game. The measures, Al-Ghamdi said, come in accordance with Youth Welfare directives, and will be strictly applied. Football fans have been known to take fireworks, sharp instruments, laser beam devices and other objects that endanger players and supporters in the stadium. The whole stadium area will be secured, with police patrolling the vicinity. Earlier on Monday, General Presidency for Youth Welfare (GPYW) issued a statement to all fans wishing to watch the Saudi league matches at stadiums and sports halls in the provinces and regions of the Kingdom. The GPYW said that it coordinates with the security and administrative bodies at soccer stadium to ensure safety and order. The statement came after the soccer stadium in different region witnessed violations of the GPYW instructions that bans explosives, fireworks, hazardous materials and water bottles inside stadium compounds. GPYW also announced that it will ban banners with writings and it will allow only flags of the teams. It allows taking food and drinks outside the stadium in restaurants that have been allocated for the same purpose. The latest actions were taken after the Al-Nasr and Al-Ittifaq match which ended in a 1-1 draw at the Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam. The match saw the fans of the two sides clashing with some fireworks and bottles which forced the match referee to stop the match for almost 15 minutes. One day after the match, GPYW banned Al-Nasr fans from attending their next match against Al-Ittihad in Riyadh. GPYW is also working to come up with measures to stop hooliganism. The new regulations will be effective from Friday when Jeddah rivals Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli play on Friday, one day ahead of the Riyadh derby between Al-Hilal and Al-Nasr. – Okaz with input from Abdullah Hariri __
