Sniffer dogs, mounted police, helicopters, security forces in their hundreds and countless identity checks greeted fans for Saturday's El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

Supporters flocking to see the showpiece clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona in the Spanish capital were confronted with an unprecedented security display for what is widely regarded as the biggest game in world football, just over a week after the deadly Paris attacks.

"In 20 years that I've been coming here, it's the first time I've seen something like this. There's always police, but nothing like today," said student Borja Jimenez, standing with a drink before entering the mythic stadium ahead of the game, which started later with a minute of silence for the Paris victims as a large French flag was unfurled.
"It's super secure, there's no way anyone can bring in a bomb here," added the Real Madrid supporter, who had to go through three checks before he was able to enter the ring of security laid out by authorities in streets adjacent to the ground.

Some 1,000 police have been deployed to protect the stadium and another 1,400 security guards are also keeping a watchful eye on a game that has an estimated global television audience of 500 million.

Spanish authorities have labelled the game a "high risk" one after the Stade de France was one of a number of targets struck during the Paris attacks last week that left 130 people dead and more than 350 injured.

- 'Show of resistance' -

In Madrid, as supporters queued to enter the 81,000-strong stadium and have their pockets and bags searched, armed police stood watch every few metres, security forces on horseback passed by and still others walked around with sniffer dogs.

But the heightened security appeared not to have dampened the excitement of the thousands who flocked to the stadium, some from as far away as Tajikistan... or from France, like Melanie Bezzazi, whose relatives were worried about her travelling to Madrid for the game.
We can't deprive oneself of everything, cancel everything... They cancelled quite a lot of stuff in france, quite a lot of events so we came here hoping to enjoy things a bit," said the 25-year-old, a French flag wrapped around her.

Preparations for the game started hours before the 1715GMT kickoff, with police going over every square inch of the area surrounding the stadium.

But authorities attempted to ease concerns ahead of a clash dominated by security fears.

"There isn't a REAL threat to the Madrid-Barca game at the weekend. Entrust us with your security and ENJOY IT!," Spain's national police tweeted on Friday.

In a comment piece, the La Vanguardia daily said the game had taken on a "special dimension."

"This is a sporting event, but at the same time it's also a show of resistance to terror," the newspaper wrote.

"Fans will go to the pitch, like so many other times, to cheer on their teams, wanting to enjoy a great game. But at the same time, they will also go to say loud and clear that terror will not change our habits nor our lifestyles."
Source: AFP