Rows of heavily armed police have been spotted lining the area around England footballers’ hotel ahead of their crunch round of 16 clash with host nation Mexico.
The stringent security measures come amid a swirl of rumours that the Three Lions could be targeted by bonkers El Tri fans whose arsenal of fireworks, drums and late-night singing prompted an official complaint from Mexico’s previous opponents Ecuador.
And the FA are clearly taking the matter very seriously too, with a wholescale review into the security arrangements for the side reportedly having taken place ahead of the encounter with the central American side.
Reports indicate that England’s hotel had already been barricaded by roadblocks designed to stop any nefariousness from their opponent’s overzealous supporters in Mexico City, where the match is taking place.
And now photos showing rows of armed and armoured cops driving in and around the hotel’s neighbourhood show that Mexican officials are doing what they can to avoid a repeat of Ecuador’s experience.
As well as tactical gear and machine guns, police can be seen sporting riot shields and driving around in military vehicles. The FA had hoped to arrive in Mexico City as late as possible ahead of their crunch tie at the iconic Azteca stadium in order to dodge any antics, however due to strict FIFA rules the Three Lions must be in the capital city at least 24 hours before kick off.
This means that the likes of Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane will have to endure at least one night’s sleep in the same location that saw a barrage of fireworks and revving cars disrupt Ecuador players ahead of their 2-0 defeat to Mexico.
To make matters worse, multiple reports including from The Sun suggest that some Mexican journalists are hoping to leak the precise hotel the players are set to stay in, in a desperate attempt to maximise disruption ahead of the game.
England fans will be hoping that the security measures will prevent their boys from any sleep disruption, or at least that the Three Lions have remembered to pack their earplugs and camomile tea ahead of what could be a noisy night.
The match is set to kick off at 6pm local time, which equates to 1am over here, so Mexico fans will have a decent chunk of time to do what they can to put off their opponents.
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