No worries over Germany-England match security

World Cup organisers and police said on Friday that they were not worried about potential trouble in the high-octane last 16 clash between old rivals Germany and England on Sunday.

Jermaine Craig, spokesman for the local organising committee, said they had been in close contact with both the German and English police but were not expecting any trouble in Bloemfontein.

“We are working closely with the German and English police, but we are sure everything is going to be okay,” said Craig.

“The security measures are in place, and we are confident everything will go okay, so far this World Cup has been very peaceful.”

National police spokeswoman Sally de Beer said both sides were considered high-priority teams and that security would be beefed up for the match.

“We have not picked up any specific threat against this match or either team, but as was the case in other matches played by high-priority teams, we will make sure that we are prepared for any eventuality,” she said in a statement.

“As both Team England and Team Germany are considered to be high-priority teams by the security forces it can be expected that security arrangements will be heightened in and around the stadium,” she said.

Since the beginning of the tournament on June 11, there has been no hooliganism at all, though 28 known Argentinian troublemakers were deported by South Africa.

The last time German and English supporters clashed was at Euro 2000 when they turned the centre of the normally quiet Belgian town of Charleroi into a battlefield.