After a very long and much anticipated wait, the Fifa world cup has eventually kicked off, 32 countries trying their best to become the number one footballing team in the world. What makes this football competition so special is that it is being held for the first time in the country of South Africa. In recent years this African country has come under severe criticism from the rest of the world due to it’s political views.

Much of this country is still struggling to come to terms with the amount of money that has been spent on building new football stadiums, hotels and training complexes. Many normal everyday Africans have been wondering if the money would have been better spent on upgrading basic amenities and infrastructure. This can all lead to tension rising between the local people, supporters and authorities.

In a poll carried out recently by More Than Insurance, 1000 England supporters travelling to world cup were interviewed and only 6% thought that they would be safe when they were in South Africa. This can be put down largely to the amount of bad press that national newspapers have been reporting like the front page spread in the Daily Star warning that “England supporters may get caught up in a machete race war” in a “crime ravaged” country.

All this bad press has now affected ticket sales from both England and Germany according to Jerome Valcke, Fifa secretary general.

With some supporters heading out to South Africa if England progress into the next round of 16 how can they ensure their safety? There are several actions that people can take when going to support their favourite team.

• Don’t go off on your own, better if you stay in an organised group.
• Don’t show/carry large amounts of money around with you.
• Stay away from large groups of other supporters.
• Travel to the match and then back to the hotel, don’t go off drinking and then decide to walk back to the hotel/campsite by yourself.

Treat this footballing holiday as you would with any holiday – respect the countries culture, don’t go looking for trouble and always be extremely aware of your personal safety and surroundings.