Inside the security operation in Atlanta for England’s World Cup semi final

Police have stepped up security across Atlanta as the city prepares to host England’s World Cup semi-final against Argentina.

The Atlanta Police Department said extra officers and resources had already been deployed around the city before Wednesday’s match, with increased patrols planned around the Mercedes-Benz Stadium and other ‘high-traffic’ areas.

Thousands of England and Argentina supporters are set to descend on the city for the first World Cup knockout meeting between the nations since David Beckham’s

Atlanta Police said they are taking ‘proactive’ measures to protect the public, deter criminals and keep the event safe.

Still, the semi-final has been classified as the ‘highest risk’ match at the World Cup so far, according to the FBI.

Fans will enter the stadium through two separate gates, but once inside, they aren’t segregated.

England supporter Rob Osborn said the fixture still carried the weight of decades of history, including Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal at the 1986 World Cup.

Rob, from Stoke Golding, Leicestershire, said: ‘There’s so much history and so much rivalry – going back to 1986.

‘If we can stop the Argentinians from cheating, like they have done in this tournament again, but with the hand of FIFA, then I think we might have a shot. I think we’ve got to have luck on our side, but we’ll see. We’ll see how it goes.’

Ahead of the semi-final, the police officer responsible for the UK’s football policing said England supporters had set an example throughout the tournament.

Chief Constable Mark Roberts of Cheshire Police, the UK’s football policing lead, said the conduct of England fans at Saturday’s quarter-final victory over Norway in Miami had again been ‘exemplary’.

He contrasted that with more than 500 reported incidents and more than 100 arrests across the UK during the same evening, most of them alcohol-related, and urged supporters watching Wednesday’s match at home to follow the example set by fans travelling in the United States.

England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford also said his side would not allow themselves to become distracted by the emotion surrounding the fixture.

‘I think you’ve seen throughout the tournament our desire to win tackles, we’ve not got into any scuffles or anything,’ he said.

‘We’ve been very well respected within the game. Decisions go our way, they don’t go our way, we just reset, we go again and we let the football do the talking.’

Pickford said England’s focus was simply on earning a place in the World Cup final rather than dwelling on the history between the countries.

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