Access to Freedom Monument in Riga center to be restricted ahead of football match between Latvia and Albania

RIGA - Access to the square in front of the Freedom Monument in downtown Riga will be partly restricted ahead of the FIFA World Cup qualifier between Latvia and Albania, with around 500 Albanian fans expected to descend on Riga for the match, Juris Stalgevics, chief of the Riga Regional Department of the State Police, and Konstantins Rubins, a security and fair play expert at the Latvian Football Federation (LFF), told reporters Monday.

Rubins informed that around 450-500 Albanian football fans are expected to arrive in Riga and that the LFF in collaboration with the police is preparing to prevent any incidents.

The federation sees the upcoming match not just as a one-off event, but as preparation for September and October when the Latvian national team is scheduled to play Serbia and around 2,400 British fans are expected to arrive for a match between Latvia and England in October.

Stalgevics revealed that on Tuesday, October 10, the Freedom Square in the city center will be partly sealed off and no fan activities will be permitted near the landmark Freedom Monument.

"The monument will be partly sealed off with a security fence, but at the same time, people will be able to visit the monument. In the event of a particular situation, threats or violations, police will take a decision and seal the square off completely," Stalgevics said.

As reported, fans of the Dutch football club Ajax Amsterdam rioted in downtown Riga ahead of a football match between Ajax Amsterdam and Latvia's RFS in January 2025, causing damage to the Freedom Monument. Law enforcement authorities were criticized for their failure to prevent the misbehaving fans from accessing the monument.

The match between Latvia and Albania will take place at the Skonto Stadium in Riga this Tuesday.