The Daily Star reports that extra officers and fire crews have been put on standby in the event of trouble. The friendly was moved from Madrid following racist abuse of England players at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2004.

The newspaper quotes a Seville police source, who says: “Moving the game means many people won’t get to see it. There are concerns people will be here without tickets, that trouble could take place on the streets.

“And inside the stadium, that players will be abused again. It could be a disaster for us.”

Shaun Wright-Phillips and Ashley Cole, both members of the present England squad, bore the brunt of the last time the sides met in Spain.

But Rio Ferdinand this week tried to play down the threat of more racist abuse from the stands.

“It doesn’t really faze me,” he said.

“As players, we are there to play football. Whatever the sideshow is, it is in the back, not in the forefront of our minds. It is not something we have discussed over lunch or at training. All we are talking about is the kind of result we are looking for.”

Britain’s Lewis Hamilton, Formula One’s first black world champion, was abused in Spain last year, while a number of Primera Liga teams have been penalised for the repeated racist behaviour of their fans. (Via Telegraph)