WORLD CUP COUNTDOWN
1 DAY TO GO
Extra police patrols
EXTRA police officers will be on patrol around Greater Manchester for England’s crunch World Cup clash on Saturday.
Gareth Southgate’s men face Sweden hoping to secure a place in the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since 1990.
The nation, gripped by World Cup fever, is expected to come to a standstill for the quarter-final game being played in the Russian city of Samara at 3pm UK time.
Manchester has no official outdoor screen showing World Cup games but fans have flocked to bars and pubs for England’s previous four matches, including the win over Colombia on penalties on Tuesday night which sparked scenes of celebration across the city and beyond.
With many people likely to head out early on Saturday, and make a day of it, bosses at GMP say there will be an ‘increased police presence’ in Manchester city centre and other busy areas, and this will be repeated for future games if they progress.
They add they are ‘continuing to work in partnership with licensed premises and other partners to ensure football fans enjoy the World Cup safely.’
They say there have so been no major incidents and hope Saturday will see a repeat of the carnival atmosphere enjoyed seen on Tuesday, with fans widely declaring ‘football’s coming home,’ a reference to the 1996 song Three Lions.
Chief Supt Graeme Openshaw, who is in charge of policing during the World Cup, said: “I’m happy to say that we have had no serious incidents of disorder linked to the World Cup so far.
“This is a testament to the good-natured behaviour of fans. We encourage all fans to get behind their team responsibly.
“We advise the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious behaviour or activity. We are not out to spoil your fun, but we will not tolerate criminal behaviour.”
Many fans have expressed disappointment that Manchester doesn’t have a big outdoor screen showing the games as is the case in other cities such as Newcastle, Leeds and Brighton.
Council bosses say it would have be alcohol-free following past trouble and security would be needed to enforce this, and that they aren’t prepared to pay for it, instead asking for a sponsor to come forward.
If England do triumph, they will face either Croatia or hosts Russia in the semifinals in Moscow on Wednesday, July 11, with pundits saying it is the country’s best chance to reach the final since their legendary win on home soil in 1966.