JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Extra security will be enforced at the England vs. Germany round of 16 encounter at the World Cup, with South Africa police describing it as a “high priority” match.
England and Germany will meet Sunday at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, which has a relatively small capacity of 40,911.
“Those are high-priority teams for us,” South Africa Police Service spokeswoman Brigadier Sally de Beer told The Associated Press on Thursday. “As with the (England)-U.S.A. game where we beefed up security … We will deploy additional forces and resources.”
Police had no information about any specific threats to the match, de Beer said, nor did they have particular concerns about the match featuring two of European football’s traditional rivals,
Earlier this month, South African police deported at least one hooligan from Britain and more than 20 from Argentina, while police in England arrested five convicted hooligans in Birmingham accused of violating domestic “banning orders” by not handing in their passports ahead of the World Cup.
The winner of the England-Germany match will play the winner of the match between Argentina and Mexico in the quarterfinals.
