NFIP Network
History
The risks associated with European football matches are extensive, ongoing and well documented. Millions of football supporters traverse Europe annually in connection with hundreds of football matches with an international dimension. Public order related incidents occur in over half of these matches which can and does pose significant safety and security risks to millions of European citizens who attend matches or reside in the cities and towns hosting football events.
It was the degree of risk, highlighted by serious incidents of football violence and disorder during the 1998 World Cup in France and the 2000 European Championships in Belgium, which prompted Interior Ministry and policing football specialists in Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and the UK to establish the European Think Tank in 2000.
The aim was to develop a mechanism for enabling experts from MS and beyond to develop European wide measures for preventing and tackling football-related violence and disorder, notably in respect of:
• Coordinating and overseeing the development of a European network of police National Football Information Points (NFIPs) - then an informal (embryonic) network established in 1989 following serious disorder during the 1988 European Championships in (the then) West Germany;
• Developing European-wide initiatives aimed at enhancing European police co-operation and preventing and tackling football-related safety and security risks; and,
• Preparing proposals for the EU to introduce measures on specialist police co-operation and related measures designed by expert policing football practitioners for their counterparts in MS and beyond.
Participation in the TT expanded apace, in tandem with the development of the NFIP network to the current position whereby NFIPs are in place in 38 European States, including every MS.
This expansion is of the utmost importance given that the dynamic of football related criminality and associated European police co-operation is a highly specialist area which is quite distinct from other thematic areas associated with policing European-wide criminality
Members
 ALBAlbania |  AUTAustria |  AZEAzerbaijan |
|---|---|---|
 BELBelgium |  BGRBulgaria |  HRVCroatia |
 CYPCyprus |  CZECzech Republic |  DNKDenmark |
 ESTEstonia |  FINFinland |  FRAFrance |
 GEOGeorgia |  DEUGermany |  GRCGreece |
 HUNHungary |  ISLIceland |  IRLIreland |
 ITAItaly |  LVALatvia |  LTULithuania |
 LUXLuxembourg |  MDAMoldova |  MKDNorth Macedonia |
 MLTMalta |  NLDNetherlands |  NORNorway |
 POLPoland |  PRTPortugal |  ROURomania |
 SRBSerbia |  SVKSlovakia |  SVNSlovenia |
 ESPSpain |  SWESweden |  CHESwitzerland |
 TURTurkey |  UKRUkraine |  GBRUnited Kingdom |
Executive
Chair
Daniel Hedman
Daniel has served in law enforcement for over 30 years, bringing extensive expertise across operational, tactical, and strategic policing at local, national, and international levels. He has led a range of complex national police operations, major public order events, and international cooperation efforts, particularly in the areas of counter-terrorism and football policing.
Within the Swedish Police Authority, Daniel is responsible for coordinating national expert support for major sporting events and overseeing strategic planning for public order and security operations. He has been engaged in football policing at all levels within the Swedish Police Authority for more than 15 years. Since 2021 Daniel has actively contributed to the European Group of Football Policing and NFIP Network Experts (European Think Tank), and he represents Sweden in various other EU security forums.
He is a graduate of the Swedish National Police Academy and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Economics. He also completed the Officers Programme at the Swedish Defence University. His professional development includes advanced training in counterterrorism, police leadership, tactical operations, and EU security coordination.
Vice Chair
Guy Theyskens
Guy started his law enforcement career in 1997. He began his career as a platoon commander in the mounted police, worked within the framework of operational international police cooperation, and served as a shift officer responsible for public order at the Belgian National Police Contact Point before moving to sports-related matters.
Since 2015, he is the head of the Major Sports Event Department within the Directorate Operations of the Belgian Federal Police, including the National Football Information Point.
With nearly thirty years of experience in police forces in areas related to public order and international information exchange, he has led the Belgian police delegation supporting local forces at 5 major football tournaments since 2014. He is deeply involved in the work of the European Group of Football Policing and National Football Information Point (NFIP) experts since 2011 and he is member of the Belgian delegation within the Committee on Safety and Security at Sports Events at the Council of Europe. Guy is involved as expert in various national and international training sessions related to safety and security at sport events.
He is graduated of the Belgian Royal School of Gendarmery, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social and Military Science and a Master’s degree in Criminology.
Management Board
In addition to the Chair and Vice-Chair, the experts group also appoints a board comprising of four core members to act on behalf of the main Group. Collectively they act as the European NFIP Network Oversight and Coordination Executive. All members of the executive are elected on the basis of a majority vote by the core membership of the Experts Group for a period of 4 years.
Martin Schlosser
- 1995-2001 Silver Commander with the Vienna Police
- Former Head of the Admissions Department for Police Officers in Vienna
- Former Head of Training and Further Trainings of the Vienna Police Force
- Former police operations commander for sporting events
- Since 2005 Trainer and expert for leadership and team management
- Since 2013 Head of NFIP Austria
- Since 2013 Austrian representative at MSE LEWP meetings
- Since 2013 Austrian representative at UEFA conferences
- Since 2013 Member of numerous expert groups on combating hooliganism
- 2014 Liaison Officer at the Winter Olympic Games in Sotchi
- Since 2015 Member of the Management Board of the European Think Tank
- 2016 Liaison Officer at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro
- 2018 Representative of the Austrian EU Presidency at the MSE LEWP Meeting
- Multiple member of the crisis support team of the Austrian Ministry of Interior in connection with Olympic Games.
- Multiple Head of Delegation of Austria at international sporting events
- Multiple activity in monitoring visits to international sporting events
- Member of the IPCC Management Board
- Former multiple Member of the Bureau of the Standing Committee
- Member of the T-S4 Expert Group
- State-certified sports teacher
Maciej Orysiak
Expert Polish National Football Information Point (NFIP).
Joint led security Staff for FIBA EuroBasket 2009 in Poland.
Joint led IPCC staff for UEFA EURO 2012 in Poland.
UEFA EURO 2016 in France and UEFA EURO 2020 (21).
Police Spotters and TSLO coordinator for FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Cup 2022 in Poland.
Polish Police Spotters coordinator since 2013.
Police Officer of Command and Crisis Management Bureau of National Police HQ.
Former member of the Safety Council for Sports Events of Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Liaison officer deployed to IPPCs during FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar and UEFA EURO 2024 in Germany.
Germana Ansini
Expert Polish National Football Information Point (NFIP).
Joint led security Staff for FIBA EuroBasket 2009 in Poland.
Joint led IPCC staff for UEFA EURO 2012 in Poland.
UEFA EURO 2016 in France and UEFA EURO 2020 (21).
Police Spotters and TSLO coordinator for FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Cup 2022 in Poland.
Polish Police Spotters coordinator since 2013.
Police Officer of Command and Crisis Management Bureau of National Police HQ.
Former member of the Safety Council for Sports Events of Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Liaison officer deployed to IPPCs during FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar and UEFA EURO 2024 in Germany.
Chrysostomos Gkikas
Chrysostomos Gkikas began his law enforcement career with the Hellenic Police in 2002. Since 2014, he has worked in football policing and the prevention of sports-related violence, with experience in investigations, operational planning, risk assessment and coordination in connection with national and international sporting events.
He currently serves as a Police Major and Head of the Intelligence Department of the Sub-Directorate for Organised Sports Violence within the Directorate against Organised Crime (DAOC), Hellenic Police. He also heads the National Football Information Point (NFIP) Greece, having been involved in its work since 2021. His responsibilities include the collection, assessment and exchange of information related to sporting events, international police cooperation, coordination with foreign police delegations and the preparation of risk assessments.
Chrysostomos has served as a National Expert Guest Officer with Europol and has experience of operational cooperation with national and European partners. He represents Greece in European and international forums related to football policing, major sporting events and safety and security at sports events, including the European Group of Football Policing and NFIP Experts, the EU Law Enforcement Working Party for Major Sport Events, and the Committee on Safety and Security at Sports Events of the Council of Europe’s Saint-Denis Convention. Since summer 2025, he has been a UEFA Safety and Security Officer. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Hellenic Police Officers School and has successfully completed the QNUK Level 5 Award in Crowd Safety Management (The Square Metre Group) (RQF).
Former Executive
David Bohannan
President
Along with representatives from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, David Bohannan was a co-founder of the European Group of Football Safety and Security Experts (otherwise known as the "Think Tank") and the Group's independent Chair since 2004. Initially established in 2000, the remit of the group was and remains to bring together policing football and governmental experts from across Europe in order to: i) identify and assess established and emerging risks in connection with international football events; ii) develop possible solutions capable of being customised to meet national circumstances and imperatives, iii) harmonise European guidance and recommended good practices; and iv) determine the best means for pursuing work streams and promulgating established good practices.
​
Between 1999 and 2011, David was Head of the UK Home Office unit responsible for developing and overseeing delivery of a comprehensive football disorder strategy based on an in-depth analysis of the football disorder dynamic, recognition of the need for a sophisticated government-led multi-agency approach, and tough but proportionate football exclusion measures designed to deter violence and disorder in connection with football events (at home and abroad), prevent repeat offending, and encourage rehabilitation.
​
On behalf of UK Government, David was also responsible for coordinating the UK's multi-agency preparations for participation in a series of European Championships and World Cups, heading the UK delegation to the Council of Europe Standing Committee on the Convention of Spectator Violence (2000 to 2010), and leading for the Home Office on a series of civil and other emergencies.
Adrian Dinca
Honorary Chair
Adrian began his law enforcement career in 2002 and he holds an experience of more than 17 years as international police cooperation officer and later on as deputy head of the National Football Information Point of Romania.
He was involved in the work of the European Group of Policing Football and NFIP Experts (Think Tank) – NFIP network for more than 10 years, in 2015 being elected as vice-chair of this body and as of November 2021 as Chair. In this function, he is responsible for the strategic management of the European NFIP network and contributed to the development of the current European legal framework in this field, analysis instruments for police data, monitoring and technical assistance activities, NFIP website and various training programs.
Mr.Dinca also held the position of Vice-chair of the Council of Europe Convention on Spectator Violence (T-RV) Standing Committee from 2016 to 2018 and Chair from 2018 to 2020, being elected for these positions by delegates from the Member States parties to this international Treaty.
From April 2021, Adrian has been elected as the first Chair of the new established Committee on Safety and Security at Sports Events for the Council of Europe Convention on an Integrated Safety, Security and Service Approach at Football Matches and Other Sports Events (T-S4) for a mandate of 2 years.
Adrian has been a part of the operational support teams deployed for several major sport events (notably EURO 2008, Europa League final 2012 and EURO 2016) and he was a member of the management structure of the International Police Cooperation Centre (IPCC) for the EURO 2020, which was hosted at Europol headquarters in Hague.
He is involved as expert in various international training sessions related to safety and security at sport events, organized by UEFA, European Think Tank, Council of Europe and CEPOL.
Adrian holds a Bachelors’ Degree in law, Master’s degree in international police cooperation and he is currently involved in research for his PhD in homeland security and policing sport events.
​
In 2025 took took on a new position with UEFA as advisor on their Safety and Security Unit.