Thaindian News

Cape Town, May 27(ANI): Football fans have been told that they will not be allowed to greet their team when they arrive in South Africa for next month’s World Cup.

The South African authorities are taking no chances with security, and tight security means that upon landing all squads will be whisked away without even entering airport terminals to meet fans.

The authorities are also making sure that adequate security measures are in place for the tournament.

“We have gone through a number of simulations with FIFA, the police, VIP protection and the task force of the police,” Sky News quoted Tebogo Megoe of Johannesburg’s Tambo Airport, as saying.

Megoe further confirmed that airport drop-off and pick-up zones would be closed to the public, denying fans a glimpse of their football stars.

Earlier this year, Al-Qaeda had warned that it would target both teams and fans during the tournament.

The organization said that it hoped “hundreds” of spectators would be killed in an explosion during England’s game against USA in Rustenburg on June 12.

World Cup Team Arrival Dates Australia, May 26; Brazil, May 27; Denmark, Argentina, May 29; USA, May 31; North Korea, June 1; England, Paraguay, June 3; Mexico, Chile, June 4; France, South Korea, Uruguay, Nigeria, June 5; Japan, The Netherlands, Portugal, NZ, Greece, Algeria, June 6; Germany, Ghana, Slovenia, June 6; Serbia, June 8; Cameroon, Italy, Honduras, Slovakia, June 9; Ivory Coast, Switzerland, June 10. (ANI)