Paris Attack: Memories Return Again And Again, Loew Says

Germany head coach Joachim Loew admits he is still haunted by memories of the November 2015 terror attacks in Paris, ahead of Tuesday’s friendly international against France in Cologne.

On November 13 two years ago suicide bombers set off explosive devices outside the Stade de France during Germany’s match with France that was the start of a series of terror attacks that left 130 dead.

Loew and the stunned Germany squad were forced to spend the night at the stadium in Paris during a security crackdown.

“You do not forget something like that. The memories return again and again,” said Loew at a press conference on Monday.

“That was a dramatic experience and one you wouldn’t want to go through again.

“You manage to block things out a bit, but it (the evening) was marked by a fear of being inside the stadium.”

Cologne will be on red alert, as a third of the tickets for Tuesday’s match at the Rhein-Energie-Stadium have not been sold and a ring of security will be thrown around the ground.

Loew says he feels safe in the security arrangements.

“I trust in the measures,” he said. “There will be heavy controls and the level of security will be very high. I feel safe.”

AFP