The Football Association is worried that England’s World Cup training ground in Kansas City lacks privacy and will attempt to erect protective fences to guard against spying by rival teams.
The English game is gripped by the spygate scandal, which led to Southampton being expelled from Saturday’s Championship playoff final for illegally surveilling opponents' training sessions. The FA will take no chances when England arrive at their World Cup base on 13 June.
Training Ground Selection
The governing body’s first choice was Sporting Kansas City’s performance centre, but Argentina secured it. The hierarchy accepted Swope Soccer Village, home to Sporting Kansas City’s academy teams, a 20-minute drive from England’s hotel.
England will fly in and out of Kansas City for all matches, starting with their opener against Croatia in Dallas on 17 June. The FA will add an outdoor gym and a players’ lounge at Swope, but the open layout requires extra security measures.
Tuchel’s Response
Thomas Tuchel was asked about anti-spying measures. He smiled, mimed drawing a bow, and said, “We will take care of that, of course, as good as possible and not in a crazy way. It is what it is. Argentina had the first option to choose a very secluded high-end facility. Like always, you try to influence what you can influence. We are very happy with the training facility, especially what the FA and all the people in charge made out of it. It suits all our needs. But I agree it can be overlooked. We will have security there and build a bit of protection. Because it’s crucial if you train on matchday minus-one, you do team buildups, set pieces, finalise penalties… you don’t want the opponent to know. It gives you a crucial advantage. So we’re trying to be as private as possible.”
