World Cup travel advice: Don't let riot police scare you, England fans told

Russian riot policemen take part in special security exercises at the Saint-Petersburg Stadium
AFP/Getty Images

England’s travelling World Cup fans have been urged not to be intimidated by hundreds of Russian police officers in riot gear lining the streets of host cities.

Thousands of supporters are expected to arrive in Volgograd this weekend ahead of England’s World Cup opener against Tunisia, and the fans can expect a hardline policing presence.

Deputy Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the UK’s national lead on football policing, said the large armed police operation was “normal” in Russia.

He added: “Whenever there is a big event, there are hundreds of armed police in riot gear. It is normal for the management of large events and they are there to keep fans safe.”

Hundreds of armed police in riot gear
AFP/Getty Images

British football police have taken several trips to the host cities of Volgograd, Nizhny Novgorod and Kaliningrad to scout the cities where England are playing.

The UK policing headquarters will be in Moscow, while spotters will be deployed at ports and airports to pick out potential British troublemakers arriving in the country. British police repeated advice telling fans not to mock “Mother Russia” by draping flags and football scarves on local statues.

Armed police preparing for the World Cup
AFP/Getty Images

They said leaving a flag or scarf on a memorial will be seen by locals as offensive. Volgograd, formerly Stalingrad, was the site of the bloodiest battle of the Second World War, where two million Russians and Germans died.

The stadium where England play Tunisia on Monday is in the shadow of The Motherland Calls, an 85ft statue of a woman brandishing a sword to commemorate the fallen. There are many other monuments, such as the Square of Grief. Mr Roberts said: “We would not accept people getting drunk and hanging flags from the Cenotaph. It is the same in Russia, especially in Volgograd. Whenever you see bad behaviour by England fans you also see flags hung from everywhere. It can be a trigger.”

Kevin Miles, from the Football Supporters Federation, said many fans will fly in and out of Russia for the group games. “ In somewhere like France they would come and stay for a few weeks,” he said. “But the distance is massive between the various group stage venues. These are not holiday destinations. Even long-haul destinations like South Africa and Brazil had appeal, but Russia doesn’t have the same magnetic effect. There is no Copacabana beach for a start.”

In Pictures | Fifa World Cup 2018 Fans

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Lindsay Skoll, Britain’s deputy ambassador in Russia, reassured fans of their safety ahead of the expected influx of charter flights.

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