US police have been ramping up preparations for the World Cup, with fans warned officers will be armed with “pepper spray, guns and Tasers” in case of crowd trouble.
The i Paper understands huge numbers of additional police will be drafted in from neighbouring cities for England’s group games in Dallas, Boston and New Jersey. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers will also be present at matches.
Despite relatively low ticket take-up overall, England are taking huge numbers of supporters to the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. There are expected to be over 10,000 travelling fans for each of England’s group matches, with around 3,500 of those attending through the Official Supporters’ Club.
The Football Association is confident of avoiding a repeat of the violent disorder involving England fans that flared up in Marseille in 2016 as they clashed with supporters from Russia, and at the Euro 2020 final at Wembley.
There are currently 2,467 fans in England and Wales who have been issued with football banning orders. It is understood those fans will have to surrender their passports for the period between 1 June and the conclusion of the World Cup to prevent them travelling to the tournament.
