England have delayed their flight to Mexico ahead of their Round of 16 tie against the co-hosts, amid reports suggesting that their training sessions could be disrupted by spying fears.
The Three Lions take on Mexico at the Azteca Stadium on Monday, but their preparations have been somewhat marred by potential security concerns. According to a report in Metro, England’s key training session, which was supposed to take place after their arrival in Mexico, will now be overseen by manager Thomas Tuchel at the team’s base in Kansas City.
“England feared that key training sessions in the build-up would be targeted by spies looking to gain valuable insight on their team shape and selection,” the report said.
England’s training will be guarded by the police and their training base will be screened off.
This, however, isn’t the only issue that has prompted England to delay their visit to Mexico. Various reports suggest that England also fear their hotel location could be leaked by local journalists and targeted by Mexico supporters ahead of the crucial match.
“Alongside their fears over spying, England also have concerns that the location of their hotel will be leaked and targeted by Mexico supporters before their match,” the report added.
A similar issue was faced by Ecuador in the previous round after their hotel location was leaked. Their players were kept awake all night after local fans blared car horns, revved motorcycles, and used loudspeakers to cause a disturbance.
The incident was reported to FIFA by Ecuador, who lost the Round of 32 clash against Mexico 2-0.
“Such conduct stands in stark contrast to the principles of fair play, equity, and unity that a World Cup should embody,” the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) said in a statement.
“The FEF respectfully calls upon the competent authorities to pay greater attention to these events and to adopt the necessary measures to ensure the safety of our players, coaching staff, and fans.”