Borussia Dortmund attack: Champions League final pledge

Everything is being done to ensure the Champions League final passes off smoothly when Cardiff hosts the world football's biggest club competition in June, police have said.

Supt Steve Furnham, of South Wales Police, was speaking after the Borussia Dortmund team bus was damaged in a series of explosions on Tuesday.

The German club was due to play at home to Monaco in the Champions League quarter-final first leg in Dortmund.

The match was moved to Wednesday.

Cardiff will host the final on 3 June at the Principality Stadium and police have already been given a £1.4m grant from the UK government to help with security.

Supt Furnham said: "The events in Germany yesterday are being fully investigated by the German authorities and we cannot speculate on the matter.

"Detailed safety and security planning and preparation for the UEFA Champions League finals in Cardiff has been going ahead for many months.

"Measures will be taken to restrict vehicular access to a number of areas within Cardiff.

"We are working with our partners here in south Wales as well as with other security forces across the country to ensure a safe and secure environment for the finals in June."

David Griffiths, president of the Football Association of Wales, was the UEFA match delegate on Tuesday and was jointly responsible for taking the decision to postpone the game.

He said: "We met with the police commander and the two teams, and there was no way that Dortmund were going to play last night because all the players were in shock.

"When a team coach is attacked... you don't expect that, but unfortunately this is the world we are living in now and we don't know what's going to happen next."

He praised the German authorities' response to the incident, saying police numbers had increased significantly, triple checks of the stadium in Dortmund were being carried out and there was a ban on bags over a certain size.

Commenting on the final in June, he said: "You look back at the [Euro 2016 tournament] and there was a ring of steel around the stadium. Everything was explained to people last Friday what is going to happen with road closures.

"I think we can expect a severe lockdown in Cardiff in June."

The final will be held at the Principality Stadium on 3 June

Lee Doddridge, a former member of the UK's National Counter Terrorism security office, said the attack's implications on Cardiff could be varied.

"We need to see the outcome of the current inquiry with the attack on the bus," he told BBC Wales.

"We need to look at the reasons why it was attacked, the explosives that were used and what may come out of the letter that was left at the scene.

"Cardiff is well-versed in dealing with major security operations at large sporting events.

"We may have to revisit the hotel security and the transport and the movement of the players to the final.

"To the fans attending, Cardiff is a secure city centre and the stadium is well used to large numbers at major events."