Soccer star Emmanuel Petit raises fears of terror attack at Euro 2016

World Cup winner and former Arsenal star Emmanuel Petit has raised fears of a possible terrorist attack during Euro 2016 and has warned that France’s over-stretched police force will need assistance from other countries to combat any threat.

He said Uefa made alternative plans to hold games behind closed doors in the event of any serious security concerns — but French authorities objected.

Petit said: “But straight after that, the organisation in France said, ‘No, there will be fans whatever happens.’ So remember what happened in the game between France and Germany [at the Stade de France last November]. So the guy wanted to come into the ground and try to explode as many people as he could. This is very worrying.

“I think [the French authorities] will ask for help from European countries. Because I know a lot of policemen and they don’t sleep any more.

“Because I live in central Paris for 20 years, and for the last months, every single day, you hear the police cars all the time, going fast everywhere. You never know what’s going to happen.”

Petit says that he has grown all too accustomed to passing armed soldiers in the street while bringing his children to school.

“Yes, it’s a different feeling for us, you know. Your history [in Ireland] is based on political troubles in the past. You know what I’m meaning: It’s quite difficult to explain.

“You know when you live with the fears and you are sometimes scared. But it is invisible.”

The threat was literally brought home to Petit in January last year with the attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices close to his home, an experience which he still finds difficult to discuss.

“I brought my kids to school which is 300m from where it happened and I was having a meeting at home with some people and I received a phonecall and... I don’t know, there is no word to explain what I felt.”

Yet, for all Petit’s fears, his hope is that France 2016 will send out a positive message.

“It’s important to show to the rest of the world that even if we are scared, even if we are crying and we are losing people, that we stand in front of the adversity. I think this is probably the most important message we have to send — unity altogether. “