The Football Association have yet to outline plans to mark the terror attack in Belgium hours before England face Italy, with police increasing their presence at Wembley following Monday’s shooting.
Belgium’s fixture against Sweden at the King Baudouin national stadium was abandoned at half time amid supporter and player safety worries after two fans were killed.
It is unlikely the FA will light up the Wembley arch in Sweden yellow and blue after facing a storm of criticism for failing to show Israel or Jewish solidarity colours last week. There had been no plans to hold a minute’s silence as of Tuesday morning, although the FA has yet to respond to inquiries since.
Fans attending the match at Wembley have been promised a “highly visible policing presence”, but are warned by Scotland Yard to “remain vigilant throughout”.
Scaled-up plans for the match were announced as authorities in Belgium confirmed the gunman behind Monday’s horror attack had been shot dead after 12 hours on the run.
The gunman, named locally as Abdesalem Lassoued, 45, from Tunisia, shot three people, killing two of them and leaving the third with serious injuries.
In response, the Met Police released a statement reassuring fans at Wembley “that they will see a highly visible policing presence”.
“Officers are there to ensure the event passes off safely and to provide reassurance to those attending,” the force added.
Superintendent Gerry Parker, match commander for the game, added: “We have been working with our partners, including the FA, in the weeks leading up to this match to ensure those attending the Wembley area enjoy this match.
“Our officers are experienced in dealing with large-scale public order events, and a flexible plan is in place to reduce the likelihood of crime and disorder, and provide a timely response to any emerging incidents.
“Please ensure you arrive in good time for the match and remain vigilant throughout; if you see anything suspicious then flag it an officer or one of the match stewards immediately so the necessary action can be taken.”
Over the weekend, the Wembley arch stayed dark for the England-Australia game out of respect of all victims of the escalating conflict in the Middle East, while players on both sides wore black armbands and observed a minute’s silence prior to kick-off.
Pressed on whether the Prime Minister thought the FA had “fallen short” in its memorials on Monday, his spokesman replied: “As I say, we think there is much more to do and much more they can be doing to show support.”
Uefa has not yet confirmed whether the Belgium-Sweden match will be replayed. Fans were kept in the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels for more than two hours before a message on the stadium screen asked them to leave “calmly”.
Sweden manager Janne Andersson said the players had asked for the game to be abandoned when they heard about the shooting.
“I felt it was completely unreal,” he told a press conference. “What kind of world do we live in today? I was supposed to have a good chat with the players but I heard it and almost started crying.
“When the team started talking, we agreed 100 per cent that we didn’t want to play on out of respect for the victims and their families.”
