The South African police officer in charge of security at the Germany-England match has promised a "no nonsense" approach to crowd trouble and said Saturday that relaxed alcohol laws could make his job harder.

Lt. Gen. Amon Mashigo said riot police, water cannons and helicopters will be on standby for the World Cup second round match Sunday and the army could also be mobilised.

"We will be seizing control of the whole city as of tonight (Saturday)," Mashigo told The Associated Press.

"To sum it up, it's a no nonsense approach. Definitely, nobody will dare do anything stupid."

Mashigo said police were not expecting crowd problems in Bloemfontein, but the game does feature teams considered "high profile" by South Africa's national police service.

"We have deployed extra forces. The members have been trained more specifically in terms of crowd control." Mashigo said, adding that there will be nearly twice as many police officers on duty as the city's biggest World Cup match so far - the host's final group game against France.

Mashigo said no hooligans had been identified trying to attend the match but alcohol sales won't be restricted in the normally conservative Bloemfontein on Sunday because of a recently passed local law.

Mashigo said it has the potential to cause problems.

"That's for sure," Mashigo said when asked if shops, bars and restaurants selling alcohol made his job harder. "But we are ready for that."

He said Sunday's game was the biggest security operation ever for a sports event in Bloemfontein - a quiet city in central South Africa which is surrounded by farmland and is more used to rugby games.

He said local police were not expecting such a high-profile match, which came about because favorite England unexpectedly qualified second behind the United States in Group C.

Up to 11,000 England fans are expected in Bloemfontein for the latest match against Germany - a fixture that has a long and dramatic history at international football tournaments and a fierce rivalry.

England supporter Brian Jones said "We will win 2-1, hopefully. I'm not 100 percent confident on that, though."

"Off the pitch, everyone's having a good time. It's nice and friendly," he said as he soaked up the winter sunshine outside a restaurant at the city's popular Waterfront entertainment area.

"I expect it to be reasonably friendly off the pitch, but I don't think it will be friendly on the pitch."

"I hope there are not going to be problems but there could be because of the stadium," Germany fan Martin Blaschke said. "I don't see any security walking around and the seats are so close."

"It's going to be a tight game, definitely. It might go to penalties and I am confident if that happens. No doubt."

Mashigo said local police had been helped by security representatives from both countries, who had already briefed their South African counterparts on the Germany-England rivalry.

"They told us about the history of the teams and the experiences that have been picked up from the previous games," Mashigo said.

The Free State Stadium, which has a capacity of just over 40,000, will open an hour earlier than usual at police request, with fans to be admitted four hours before kickoff.

The World Cup's opening game between South Africa and Mexico at Johannesburg's Soccer City was the only other game to open gates that early.

"We are dealing (with fans) with a soft hand," Mashigo said, "but there is also a very hard touch as far as security is concerned."

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