Johannesburg – The World Cup match between Germany and England will be one of the most heavily policed of the tournament, with previous fixtures having attracted large numbers of hooligans.
After scraping through to the last 16 on Wednesday, three-times champions Germany and England, another former winner, are now scheduled to face off in the central town of Bloemfontein on Sunday.
The last time the pair met in a major competition a decade ago during the European championships in Belgium, the streets of Charleroi were reduced to a battle zone as more than 500 fans were arrested during two days of violence.
"There's a bit of animosity between the two teams in the past, and obviously we'll keep that in consideration when deploying our members and resources," national police spokesperson Sally de Beer told AFP.
After scraping through to the last 16 on Wednesday, three-times champions Germany and England, another former winner, are now scheduled to face off in the central town of Bloemfontein on Sunday.
The last time the pair met in a major competition a decade ago during the European championships in Belgium, the streets of Charleroi were reduced to a battle zone as more than 500 fans were arrested during two days of violence.
"There's a bit of animosity between the two teams in the past, and obviously we'll keep that in consideration when deploying our members and resources," national police spokesperson Sally de Beer told AFP.