Armed guard from the plane to the hotel » Unprecedented security measures in Istanbul! Who is the man from SIAS in the delegation

• Turkey – Romania will be played on Thursday, March 26, from 19:00, match broadcast by Prima TV. If we win, we play the qualification final against Slovakia/Kosovo on March 31, 2026.
• Gazeta Sporturilor has 6 experienced reporters in Istanbul who will send the most important information, reports and a series of multimedia correspondence.

The Romanian delegation is preparing to arrive in Istanbul for the capital match against Turkey in the World Championship qualifier this summer. The match at Beşiktaş's stadium is considered one of maximum risk, and the local authorities have taken extreme security measures, including for Mircea Lucescu's delegation.

“Extraordinary security measures have been taken”

“Armed guard from the moment they get off the plane until they enter the hotel!”.This is the clear message sent by Turkish police representatives for the arrival of the national team in the city of 18 million inhabitants.

Turkey – Romania is not a simple football match, but behind it there is a real security team that manages the smooth running of the event, under the guidance of those from UEFA.

GSP.RO got in touch with a key Romanian who is in charge of coordinating the security of Thursday night's game in Istanbul. A man with many years of experience in the special forces, participating in dozens of events organized by UEFA and FIFA, he says that “exceptional security measures have been taken”.

“Guard everywhere, increased controls”

What does this mean? The airport and the entire route that the players will travel until they get on the coach have been checked for blood. The doors and windows that could interfere in any way with the movement of Stanciu, Bîrligea or Drăgușin were sealed and blocked.

Several Istanbul police crews will be present around the airport to ensure the arrival of the national team takes place in the best possible conditions.

“The coach will then be escorted by police cars, with the sound and light signals in operation throughout the journey,” he says. The coach will arrive at Le Méridien, located in an exclusive district of Istanbul, with everything blocked from the entrance to regular supporters.

“None of the supporters will have access to the hotel. Only those staying there will be able to enter the establishment. Security everywhere, increased controls,” says the GSP information.

Mircea Lucescu and the players, guarded non-stop!

The national team will also have two security guards from Bucharest. One of them, Alexandru Nicilă, is always around the “tricolors”, attentive to everything that moves and ready to intervene in case of necessity.

Alexandru Nicila

In addition to the dozens of matches he participated in as head of the security device, Nicila has behind him events with a maximum degree of security and tens of thousands of participants.

He worked for 11 years at the Service for Interventions and Special Actions, within the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police.

More than 10,000 law enforcement officers will patrol Istanbul

According to behind-the-scenes information, Thursday's match between Turkey and Romania will benefit from increased security devices.

“More than ten thousand Turkish police officers, as well as stewards, are engaged in this sporting event. The interest is enormous, and the Turkish police know what to do at such games”the answer comes from within.

To give you an idea, at the domestic championship matches, when Galatasaray plays Fenerbahçe, there are more than 25,000 security guards patrolling the whole city to ensure that there are no serious incidents on the streets, near the arena or in the stadium.

Be careful when entering the stadium

And access to the stadium will be done extremely carefully. Stewards will try to block access to the arena with pyrotechnic materials. Attention!, the Turks do not allow access to the stands with large backpacks and bulky bags, umbrellas, blunt objects, water bottles or juice cans.

Body checks are very strict and there will be multiple security filters. Turkish officials have announced several times at previous matches that the gendarmerie can confiscate any item deemed dangerous, even if it does not appear on the official list.

Romanians who will enter Turkey will automatically receive a message from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with emergency contact details.