In light of new tensions between Britain and Russia, the U.K. government should be wary of Russian intelligence efforts to target England’s soccer team at this summer’s World Cup.
As such, Britain should request the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service send agents to support and advise the British security team that accompanies England to Russia.
This is no hyperbolic assessment of threat.
After all, the Russian intelligence services have always taken a keen interest in ensuring their nation’s sporting successes. The Olympics doping scandal is the best example of this dynamic, but this summer’s World Cup will give Russia’s domestic intelligence service, the FSB, an unparalleled opportunity to mess with foreign teams.
Attempting to embarrass Britain with an early exit from the tournament, harassing the English national team will almost certainly be an FSB priority.
Don’t get me wrong, it is highly unlikely that the Russians will seriously hurt any players or traveling officials. That course of action would risk distracting away from Putin’s pageantry and his desire to showcase Russia as place to visit and invest.
Still, there are other ways the Russians will likely choose to target the English team — most obviously, at their hotels.
The FSB could easily try, for example, to engage in some food poisoning antics targeting the England team’s daily meals.
Or they could put some kind of irritant on the bed pillows of goalkeepers Joe Hart or Jodan Pickford, thus giving them a pink eye gift for the next day’s game.
Or they could accidentally leave a nasty splinter in a position to give Raheem Sterling an infected cut.
Or they could host a party on the same floor where England’s top strikers are trying to sleep. And the next day, when those strikers try to have a shower, ensure the hot water isn’t working.
Or they could arrange for hooligans, with no obvious link to the Kremlin, to blare loud music on the street outside the hotel.
This is where the DSS comes in, because the DSS has a longstanding expertise in dealing with the protection of U.S. athletes at foreign sporting events. Moreover, unlike British security teams who travel with British athletes, the DSS’ experience involves the whole range of protective work, not simply physical security against attacks.
Alongside a British security team, the DSS could advise in supervising food preparation, ensuring access control to hotel rooms, and effectively liaising with host nation security forces so that an issue of concern is raised efficiently. This is particularly important with the Russians, who love to drag their feet in resolving issues wherever possible. The DSS would also be in a position to recommend the British security officials draw public attention to any incidents so that Putin is embarrassed into calling them to a halt.
Yes, were the U.S. soccer team not defined by arrogance, the DSS would be joining our boys to Russia this year. But in lieu of that, the British government via the English Football Association would do well to request the DSS’ support.
