Mexican police mobilise 7500 officers for England clash
Tom Morgan and Robert Mendick
Police will deploy 7500 officers to the Azteca Stadium amid fears for the safety of England fans in their last-16 clash with Mexico.
In the biggest operation ever seen for an England football match, supporters are being warned to arrive hours before kick-off and to avoid a district of the city after the match where Mexicans congregate to celebrate victories.
The Azteca was the site of chaotic scenes during the opening game of the tournament, and there will be one police officer on duty for every 10 fans at a game that kicks off on Sunday evening local time (Monday 10am, AEST).
Four Mexican fans died in a crush last week after the team’s victory against Ecuador, when more than a million people gathered to celebrate.
One far-left protest group has threatened to target England fans because of Britain’s history of colonial rule, but the greatest danger to fans will be the problems of crowd control. The clamour for tickets in Mexico City has reached fever pitch, while on the FIFA official resale site, one seller was asking for more than $50,000 ($71,000) for a single ticket.
The unprecedented scale of the security operation appears to have been a factor in FIFA considering bringing the kick-off time six hours forward. FIFA sources initially cited the proposed move as weather-related. However, the kick-off change was abandoned on Friday night after both teams expressed dismay over the lack of preparation time.
In terms of boots on the ground, Sunday’s security plan is almost four times as big as Metropolitan Police activities around Wembley when chaos engulfed the Euro 2020 final. Millions are expected to take to the streets of Mexico City, with 8000 or so England fans dramatically outnumbered wherever they go.
It is noticeable that many England supporters have chosen not to wear their team shirts while in the city, although there has been no suggestion of any specific threat to them. Fans report being warmly embraced by locals.
However, the decision to stick with an early evening kick-off time locally leaves police contending with major potential disruption. The Telegraph (London) is also aware of at least two protest groups planning to ambush fans and potentially cause chaos like they did at the tournament’s opening match.
One protest is being led by a far-left group called the Anti-Globalist Assembly – which is specifically protesting against England’s involvement at the World Cup after “perpetuating a colonial system, as well as for its active participation in and complicity with the genocide in Gaza”.
In a message urging protesters to join them on Sunday, the group also says it plans to “denounce the repression, harassment, and violence that the Mexico City Government has inflicted upon searching families, activists, defenders of land, water and housing, as well as trans comrades and sex workers”.
Significant disruption was seen ahead of the World Cup’s opening match, with rioters clashing with police immediately outside the stadium gate.
This match, however, is on another scale as enthusiasm has taken hold in Mexico after the nation’s first victory in the knockout stages in 40 years. Fears have been expressed about ticketless fans trying to get into the stadium.
As a result, Mexico has doubled security around the monument known as the Angel of Independence and at the fan festival after the four deaths during celebrations following the co-host’s win over Ecuador.
Clara Brugada, the mayor of Mexico City, announced the measures on Friday as she presented a pre- and post-match security plan that includes 7500 police officers around Azteca, with a further 3300 deployed in the Zocalo, the city’s main square.
Pablo Vazquez, Mexico City’s secretary of public security, announced that only 25,000 people will be allowed access to the Angel monument, a popular spot for fans to celebrate victories. Once that limit is reached, supporters will be directed to other locations along the Paseo de la Reforma, where multiple screens will be set up to watch the game and the celebrations.
A similar procedure will be followed at the Zocalo, where access will also be closed once capacity is reached. Visitors will then be asked to go to one of more than 50 designated viewing areas throughout the city to watch the game.
Security will be reinforced along Paseo de la Reforma with 6000 police officers, double the number deployed on June 30. England fans are being told to steer clear of the area.
Under heavy security, England players and coaches arrived to boos from locals at their hotel in the Santa Fe area, in the western part of the capital, late on Friday.
Dozens of police officers secured their arrival, while fans waited to applaud the team as they passed by. Personnel from the army, national guard and local police were among those protecting the players.
At least for the first night, there was no massive gathering of fans, unlike the situation with Ecuador before the previous match, when dozens of supporters turned up outside the team hotel to make noise and deprive Mexico’s rivals of sleep.
Telegraph, London
