Police in Tenerife have indicated they will launch a major security operation to prevent any potential violence from breaking out during the England and Wales game.
It comes after video footage surfaced of a brawl outside bars on Friday evening, with people wearing England and Wales shirts being involved. UK police are concerned that people prevented from travelling to Qatar for the World Cup may have been involved in the incident but have highlighted that this has not yet been confirmed.
More than 1,300 people subject to football banning orders were forced to hand their British passports to police as they try and prevent violent and abusive fans in England and Wales travelling to Qatar. Anyone wishing to travel to other countries from November 10 until the end of the tournament have been told they must seek permission to hold on to their passports and undergo checks, according to the Home Office.
Read more: Woman's sickening cruelty on vulnerable victim who thought they were friends
A statement issued by the local council said the incident in the tourist area on Friday night is being investigated. Chief constable Mark Roberts, the UK’s football policing lead, when asked about the incident, told the PA news agency: “We’re going to have to look at this because we’ve got the football banning order regime that prevents people from travelling.
“There are on occasions exemptions and I think some of the people who got exemptions have gone to Tenerife. We can’t say yet they’ve been involved yet or not but we probably do need to think about it.
“Sadly I think the Spanish police are pretty used to dealing with unpleasant drunkenness from holidaying Brits so I don’t think it’s anything out of the ordinary.
“If it hadn’t been World Cup time it would have probably happened and no-one would have batted an eyelid. It’s unfortunate but it’s that link again between alcohol and poor behaviour.”
So far, no arrests have been made, according to Mr Roberts.
Read next:
- Struggling neighbours in Salford's 'biggest eyesore' face 'scandalous' rent hike - on Christmas Eve
- Police release CCTV footage after three attempted kidnappings that saw schoolgirls targeted
- How the Devil Dog Mobster's reign of terror ended in a hail of bullets at the wheel of his £50k Mercedes
- Loan sharks and drug dealer caught in a dead end among Greater Manchester criminals waking up behind bars
- Village rocked by murder of devoted dad found shot and attacked with acid in quiet street
