Swarms of bugs cause chaos for England and Tunisia at the World Cup

Clive Rose/Getty Images

• Bugs have taken over the World Cup match between England and Tunisia, with players and supporters alike being swarmed by flies and mosquitoes.

• Before the match, players could be seen liberally applying bug spray in an effort to repel the annoying pests through the match.

• Three more matches are scheduled to be held at the arena before the end of the World Cup.

England and Tunisia both faced an unexpected challenge ahead of their World Cup match on Monday: bugs.

Swarms of flies and mosquitoes appear to have taken a liking to the conditions in Volgograd, where the game is being held, leaving players, reporters, and supporters all struggling with the presence of the pests.

Even on Sunday night, reporters looking to shoot from the stadium were struggling to get through their segments.

Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1008411972440817664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
@Natpirks 1 - Mosquitoes 0. Lets hope they don’t come out tomorrow night for the #England game #WorldCup2018 pic.twitter.com/k8uS27XZMC Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1008395754015219712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
First time for everything: Just had to abort going live on Sky Sports News with seconds to spare because of invasion of flies outside England team hotel. Big problem here in Volgograd. Helicopters have been spraying insecticide over the stadium this week

Volgograd Arena is located right off of the Volga River, where rising water temperatures and low wind has apparently created something of a perfect storm for the bugs looking to bother the athletes on the pitch.

When it came time to get ready for the match, players could be seen swatting at the incessant insects, and applied bug spray liberally throughout their opening workouts.

Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1008770573030383616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
#ENG had to add some extra preparation ahead of their clash with #TUN due to a swarm of bugs #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/HCh2ukIeMf Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1008768655516200961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Those bugs in Volgograd 😳#WorldCup pic.twitter.com/TVZMRbrgtM

Things weren't any better to start the second half.

FS1

Fans watching the match had to deal with the bugs as well. According to the Guardian, security measures that normally banned liquids had to be relaxed in order to accommodate fans with bug spray looking to make it through the game without getting eaten alive.

Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1008418854555607043?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
England fans - get this bug repellent. I have a feeling we’re all going to need it tomorrow 👀 It’s like playing real-life fruit ninja out there #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/nJTABOlPQV

Three more games are scheduled to take place at Volgograd Arena before the World Cup comes to a close, withe the next match scheduled for June 22 between Iceland and Nigeria. Hopefully officials can figure out a way to better contain the bugs before the opening whistle.

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