The Atlanta Police Department (APD) will have enhanced security in place for today’s match.
The World Cup has been free of the violent disorder that blighted some tournaments in the 1980s and 1990s but authorities are taking no chances for the last of the seven matches at Atlanta Stadium.
“The Atlanta Police Department has enhanced its citywide public safety and security posture,” the APD said in a statement.
“Additional personnel and resources are already deployed and will continue to be strategically assigned … to help ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.”
The APD said the proactive measures were the result of continual assessment of what was required to secure the matches in Atlanta.
“Adjustments are a routine part of managing an event of this magnitude and are intended to ensure a safe and enjoyable FIFA World Cup experience,” the statement added.
Argentina’s security minister, Alejandra Monteoliva, said on Tuesday that enhanced security had been discussed at a meeting in the United States on Monday.
Monteoliva indicated that, for the first time at the tournament, rival fans would be channelled into Atlanta Stadium through separate entrances on Wednesday.
“There will be 1,600 officers … We want the celebration to be peaceful,” she told local radio in Argentina.
FIFA’s ticket sales policies for the tournament mean that segregating fans inside the stadium, as happens routinely in domestic football matches in England and Argentina, would be nigh on impossible on Wednesday.
The APD said it works closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and its “public safety partners” on planning for such events but never “discuss specific operational risk assessments or the details of planning”.
Given the contested nature of The Falkland Islands/Las Islas Malvinas, Monteoliva said that Argentina fans would not be able to take any flags or banners into Atlanta Stadium which claimed sovereignty over the islands.
“The entry of elements that have any type of provocative message, whether of political or racial content, is prohibited. They will not be able to enter flags or posters with that content,” Monteoliva said.
– Reuters
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