Alberich Lichtenberg (@Germanien)

—OPEN LETTER FROM GERMANY: WHAT I'M SEEING FROM AFAR AT THE WORLD CUP OF HATE— (PART 2) England's Security Bubble: When A Football Tournament Starts Looking Like A Security Operation If there is one example that illustrates how the atmosphere surrounding this #WorldCup has shifted from celebration to confrontation, it is #England's experience in #Mexico. From the moment the Three Lions arrived in #MexicoCity, extraordinary security precautions became part of their routine. The English Football Association reportedly chose to keep the team's hotel location confidential—not out of paranoia, but as a precaution following the incidents surrounding #Ecuador's national team, whose players were reportedly subjected to an organized late-night disturbance outside their hotel before their match against Mexico. England was determined not to become the next target. Despite those efforts, Mexican supporters eventually identified the team's hotel and reportedly booked rooms there themselves, greeting the players with boos and chants of "¡México! ¡México!" as they entered the building. Their arrival was accompanied by an unusually large security deployment. The hotel was surrounded by security personnel, controlled access points, and a perimeter designed to keep supporters at a distance. The images resembled those of a high-risk diplomatic visit more than those of a national football team preparing for a World Cup fixture. England has also conducted training sessions at Cantera, the facilities of Club Universidad Nacional A.C., better known as Pumas #UNAM., a location reportedly selected as much for privacy and security as for sporting reasons. Reports have also suggested that the team delayed its arrival in Mexico City because of concerns over surveillance and possible information leaks regarding its preparations. Meanwhile, the #US Embassy issued security guidance for American citizens ahead of England's match, citing violent incidents that followed the Mexico–Ecuador game, including several reported fatalities during celebrations near The Angel of Independence. Whether viewed individually or collectively, these developments paint an unsettling picture. #Football rivalries are expected. Passion is expected. Security measures are expected. But when visiting national teams feel compelled to conceal their whereabouts, require extensive security simply to train, and foreign governments issue public safety advisories surrounding football matches, something fundamental has changed. The Question I Ask as Someone Who Knows Mexico As a foreigner who has lived in Mexico and who travels there frequently, I find myself asking an uncomfortable question: Is this simply a loud minority, or does it reflect something deeper within Mexican football culture? Because what I see—based on years of living alongside Mexicans, my admiration for their culture, and my disappointment over what is happening—is deeply troubling: 🔹 A portion of the fan base appears willing to celebrate confrontations with visiting supporters. Videos of altercations circulate online accompanied by applause rather than condemnation. 🔹 Social media spaces where xenophobic language is commonplace, where racist comments often receive hundreds of laughing or approving reactions instead of outrage and rejection, and where foreigners are routinely portrayed as the enemy. 🔹 Immediate attempts to justify the behavior whenever someone points it out: "That's just how Mexicans are." "If they attack one of us, they attack all of us." "Let's defend our homeland and drive out the foreign invaders." "Mexico's sovereignty must be respected." Such arguments risk turning hostility into #patriotism and aggression into national identity. 🔹 A football federation that appears unable to control sections of its own supporters, issuing mild statements while stadiums increasingly resemble battlegrounds. 🔹 The silence of the Mexican government. 🔹 Perhaps most troubling of all: denial. Every incident is followed by an army of social media users defending the indefensible, minimizing physical assaults, excusing racist abuse, and portraying themselves as the real victims, while the visiting supporters are the ones being attacked. I have walked the streets of Mexico City. I have experienced the genuine passion of millions of Mexicans who truly love football. But I have also seen how that passion can become corrupted, how social resentment can be directed toward foreigners, and how what is dismissed as "humor" can become a vehicle for hatred. The Mexico I came to know was welcoming, generous, vibrant, and deeply proud of its hospitality. But these past few days, I have been seeing a different Mexico—one that feels unfamiliar, angry, hostile, and closed in upon its own resentment. And I cannot help but ask: What happened to the country that made me fall in love with it? Or was this side always there, hidden beneath the surface, simply waiting for an excuse to emerge? 🤔