Mexico City tightens security and caps crowds for Mexico-England match after 4 deaths

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico will double security and limit capacity at the monument known as the “Angel of Independence” and at the fan festival in Mexico City’s main square for Sunday’s Mexico-England World Cup match after four people died during celebrations following Mexico’s win over Ecuador earlier this week.

Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada on Friday announced the measures as she presented the pre- and post-match security plan following the deaths of four fans from asphyxiation and cardiac arrest.

As a World Cup host city and with the team advancing farther than it has in 40 years, Mexican fans have poured into the streets to watch the games and celebrate their wins after being priced out of the stadiums by the exorbitant cost of tickets. Mexican authorities have assured spectators that the country is safe and that they took all safety precautions to host after a February attack in Guadalajara following the death of a cartel boss raised concerns.

The decision to reinforce security comes after two women, ages 19 and 44, and a 48-year-old man died of asphyxiation on June 30 in the streets near the central Paseo de la Reforma. Emergency services also treated a 25-year-old man for epilepsy, a seizure and gastrointestinal bleeding. The man died shortly afterward in the hospital from cardiorespiratory arrest.

The Mexico City Attorney General’s Office opened an investigation into the four deaths, which is still ongoing.

Brugada told reporters that there will be free entry to the Monument to Independence, popularly known as the “Angel,” and the Zócalo on Sunday, but with limited capacity for everyone’s safety.

Mexico City’s Secretary of Public Security, Pablo Vázquez, announced that only 25,000 people will be allowed access to the Angel monument, a popular spot for fans to celebrate victories. Once that limit is reached, fans will be directed to other locations along the Paseo de la Reforma, where multiple screens will be set up to watch the game and the celebrations.

A similar procedure will be followed at the Zócalo, the city’s main square, where access will also be closed once capacity is reached. Visitors will then be asked to go to one of more than 50 designated viewing areas throughout Mexico City to watch the game.

Security will be reinforced along Paseo de la Reforma with 6,000 officers, double the number deployed on June 30, Vázquez explained. There will be 7,500 police officers around Estadio Azteca, while 3,300 will be deployed in the Zócalo.

Vázquez explained that a security perimeter would be established in the areas near the Angel of Independence to control the flow of people. Street vendors and delivery drivers will not be allowed. Strategic closures of the Metro and Metrobus lines near Paseo de la Reforma will also be implemented.

Mexico City’s Secretary of Government, César Cravioto, announced that from the early morning of July 5 until the following day, the sale of alcoholic beverages will be prohibited on the streets of the city center. Consumption will only be permitted in banquet halls, restaurants, hotels, private clubs, movie theaters, theaters and auditoriums.

The city’s Secretary of Civil Protection, Myriam Urzúa, urged fans to avoid the crowd games that have become popular, including “Want to Fly!,” where people are thrown into the air and caught by the crowd, and “Shall We Swim!,” where the crowd advances in unison to the song popularized by the character Dory in the Disney movie “Finding Nemo.”

England arrives and reaches its hotel

Under heavy security, England players and coaches arrived at their hotel in the Santa Fe area, in the western part of the capital, late Friday night.

Dozens of police officers secured the arrival, while fans waited to applaud the team as it passed by. Personnel from the Army, the National Guard and local police from México City were among those protecting the players.

At least for the first night, there was no massive gathering of fans — unlike the situation with Ecuador during the previous match, when dozens of supporters turned up outside the team hotel to make noise and deprive Mexico’s rivals of sleep.

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Fabiola Sánchez, The Associated Press