The match between Mexico and England in the round of 16 of the World Cup at the Azteca Stadium will witness the biggest security operation ever organized during a match played by the English team, according to the British newspaper "The Telegraph".
7,500 security personnel will be tasked with securing the match inside the stadium perimeter alone, which can accommodate about 75,000 spectators, which means one security guard for every 10 fans.
This unprecedented security deployment, coupled with fears that have escalated after four people were killed during Mexican fan celebrations last week, appeared to have prompted FIFA to consider moving forward the match by six hours.
Sources within FIFA had initially suggested changing the date of the match to weather forecasts, but the idea was scrapped on Friday evening after England and Mexico expressed displeasure with the lack of time available to prepare.
8,000 English fans only
The security plan for this match is almost four times greater than the measures taken by London police around Wembley Stadium during the Euro 2020 final, which witnessed widespread chaotic events.
The streets of Mexico City are expected to be filled with millions of people on the day of the match, while the number of English fans in the city will not exceed 8,000, making it a minority almost everywhere.
But keeping the match scheduled for 6 p.m. Mexico time poses additional challenges for security services, which are preparing for the possibility of major unrest.
The Telegraph has learned that at least two protest groups may be trying to disrupt the atmosphere, as happened before the opening match of the tournament.
One of these moves is led by a far-left group calling itself the Anti-Globalization Caucus, which has announced that its protest is aimed at England's participation in the World Cup, accusing it of "entrenching a colonial regime, and participating in and complicit in the genocide in Gaza."
The group called on protesters to take part in its action on Sunday, saying it would also condemn what it called the Mexico City government's "repression, harassment and violence" against families of missing persons, activists, advocates for land, water and housing, as well as transgender people and sex workers.
Mexican authorities fear chaos
The opening match of the World Cup witnessed major turmoil, after clashes broke out between protesters and riot control forces at the gates of the stadium, but the authorities see the match between Mexico and England as a much bigger challenge, after crowd enthusiasm rose after the Mexican team qualified for the knockout stages for the first time in 40 years, and security services fear that thousands of fans who do not have tickets will try to enter the stadium by force.
For this reason, authorities have stepped up security around the "Angels of Independence" monument, the capital's most famous crowd gathering point, as well as the Festival of Masses area, after four people died during celebrations following Mexico's victory over Ecuador.
Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada announced the details of the security plan, which includes the deployment of 7,500 security personnel around the Azteca stadium, in addition to another 3,300 in the city's largest square, Zocalo Square.
Mexico City's Minister of Public Security, Pablo Vasquith, said that authorities would allow only 25,000 people to enter the "Angels of Independence" area, and that after that number was reached, fans would be directed to other locations along Paseo de la Reforma, where giant screens would be set up to watch the match.
The same measure will be applied at Zocalo Square, where access will be closed once capacity is full, and visitors will be directed to more than 50 locations dedicated to watching the match throughout the city.
The security deployment along the Paseo de la Reforma will also be strengthened with the deployment of 6,000 security personnel, double the number involved in securing the match between Mexico and Ecuador.
Police guard England hotel
The England team arrived at its hotel in the western district of Santa Fe amid tight security measures, where a number of local fans booed them.
Army, National Guard and Mexico City police took part in securing the arrival of the players and technical staff, while dozens of security personnel were deployed along the road leading to the hotel.
Unlike the Ecuador team in the previous match, the hotel where the English team is staying did not witness any large crowd gatherings during the first night, as Mexican fans had previously gathered in front of the Ecuador residence to make continuous noise, with the aim of depriving the opponent's players of sleep.
Mexican media have reported allegations that the BBC has been pressuring for a change in the date of the match, but a spokesman for the BBC has denied this, stressing that the BBC "did not participate in any way in these discussions".
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