England supporters told to use specific 'code word' to police if they feel threatened by Serbia fans
England fans have been told to use a specific code word to German police if they feel threatened by Serbia supporters at Euro 2024.
England take on Serbia at Schalke's Arena AufSchalke stadium on Sunday in their opening Group C match.
Fears have been raised over the potential for crowd violence ahead of the game in Gelsenkirchen.
Reports earlier this week claimed a group of 500 Serbian 'hooligans' are planning to target the match.
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Speaking to The Guardian, chief of police in Gelsenkirchen, Peter Both, said that he hoped to intercept the hooligans before they reach the match, which has been designated as 'high-risk' by UEFA.
Both said: "I guess the biggest challenge for us will be to identify violent, disruptive groups at an early stage, to separate them from peaceful and law-abiding fans, that will be our biggest challenge."
Police are hoping to avoid a repeat of the rioting that has marred England's most recent Euros campaigns, most notably their 2016 opener against Russia – when a large group of Russian hooligans clashed with England fans in Marseille.
The Telegraph report that any fans who feel 'unsafe' or 'threatened' during England's match against Serbia have been told to say the code word 'Panama' to police or a member of tournament staff.
"The unusual safe words 'Wo geht's nach (Which way to) Panama?' or 'code word' 'PANAMA' have been adopted by competition organisers in Gelsenkirchen amid warnings Sunday's fixture could witness a repeat of the rioting to have plagued the Three Lions at the Euros," read the report.
Staff hearing the word Panama have been instructed to 'immediately offer the possibility of a place to retreat' for the person in distress.
It could also potentially activate a Panama team, described in the report as 'a multilingual, multi-professional team which is trained in crisis intervention, non-violent communication and de-escalation'.
After facing Serbia this weekend, England take on Denmark on June 20 before playing their final group game against Slovenia on June 25.
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Rory O'Callaghan