Security fears have forced officials to separate fans for the first time at this World Cup when England and Argentina renew their World Cup rivalry after 24 years. Based on their history in FIFA knockout games, one can expect their July 15 clash to remain in the headlines long after the final whistle. While this game has many interesting storylines on the field, it has an even bigger one running off the field. All of this combined has led to the FBI deciding to take steps to prevent any untoward incident owing to years of bad blood.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
A Monday night meeting between the FBI, FIFA officials, and local police has classed the England-Argentina game as the “highest risk” match at the World Cup so far.
The historical divide between the two nations was the subject of discussion, as the officials believed it could trigger clashes between supporters. England and Argentina fought an undeclared war over the control of the Falkland Islands in 1982. The war lasted for over two months and claimed many lives.
Even on the field, things have been tense right from their 1966 meeting in the World Cup quarterfinals. In what was their second World Cup meeting and first in the tournament’s knockout stage, Antonio Rattin was cautioned twice and then sent off. As he felt the caution was unfair and refused to leave, he had to be escorted off the pitch by the police.
There were even doubts about Geoff Hurst’s game-winning strike that day, with the main contention being whether he was offside.
Two decades later, on the very same stage, came the infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal. Like the 1966 game, the winner of the game between these two sides eventually went on to lift the World Cup.
12 years on, there was a tense period of extra time and penalties in a round of 16 clash. At one point, 10-man England thought they had clinched the game with Sol Campbell’s header. However, the referees disallowed it due to a foul on the Argentine goalie by Shearer. That game is remembered for the incident between David Beckham and Diego Simeone.
After Beckham was fouled, Simeone made contact with the back of the Englishman’s head. Beckham swung a leg at the Argentine, who fell over. Later, Simeone admitted to simulating the injury from the kick to have Beckham red-carded. Beckham redeemed himself in Sapporo four years later with a game-winning penalty.
A thing to note is that all the England vs. Argentina knockout games have had some controversy. As this is the deepest they will have met in a World Cup clash, combined with the other tensions, one can understand the security measures that law enforcement is taking.
For the Wednesday night encounter in Atlanta, officials confirmed that there will be separate entry gates for both sets of fans. Even dedicated downtown bars were assigned to prevent the fans from riling each other up. However, there is no segregation inside the stadium as fans may even sit next to each other due to the ticket allocation system.
Atlanta Police Department released an official statement on the situation. “As Atlanta prepares to host an upcoming FIFA World Cup semi-final match and welcomes increased numbers of residents and visitors, the Atlanta Police Department has enhanced its citywide public safety and security posture,” part of the statement read.
Videos showing Argentina’s players singing about the Islands in their dressing room and on the pitch have already gone viral online.
The World Cup semis transcend the football pitch, as Argentina’s foreign minister claimed the Falkland Islands belong to them before he was met with swift condemnation from British officials.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, however, believed it was just a soccer match, and they had nothing else on their minds.
“The message to the Argentine people is that this is a soccer match. We’re going to face a great team with a great coach, but it is just a soccer match, nothing more than that,” he said.
Argentina avoided a scare in each of their World Cup knockout clashes so far. Cape Verde took them to extra time, only to lose 3-2 thanks to an own goal. Egypt nearly pulled off a sensational upset against the defending champions by leading 2-0 until the 79th minute, only to collapse into a 3-2 loss later. A 10-man Switzerland held on to a 1-1 tie until the 112th minute in extra time and conceded a third in the dying moments.
England itself needed two come-from-behind victories to reach this stage. First, they trailed 1-0 to DR Congo in the Round of 32 before Harry Kane scored two goals in the final 15 minutes. In the last eight, they needed to come from behind against Norway, with Jude Bellingham scoring the winner early in extra time.
England will be hoping to silence 39-year-old Messi, who has been the difference maker in most of the Argentines’ games so far. Head coach Thomas Tuchel admitted that they weren’t good enough, but he needs more from his squad if they are to reach the World Cup final.
The winner of the clash will meet Spain in the final.