Gareth Bale to receive extra security with Wales

Gareth Bale to receive extra security with Wales following arson attacks on fiancee's family as he joins Wales ahead of the World Cup qualifier against Austria

Bale will receive beefed up security when he links up with Wales on Monday after his fiancee's family were targeted in a spate of arson attacks.

The Real Madrid star is joining his national team in Cardiff ahead of the World Cup qualifier against Austria in Vienna and Welsh chiefs are employing additional protection for him.

Wales are acting after cars and homes belonging to the grandparents and aunts of Emma Rhys-Jones, Bale’s fiancee, were torched as part of an alleged drugs feud.

 

Real reacted by placing three armed cops outside Bales’s room at the team hotel as they prepared to play Las Palmas in Gran Canaria on September 24 and Wales are following suit.

While Bale and Wales are relaxed about the situation they are taking the precautionary step of appointing extra security personnel at the national side’ s hotel in the Vale of Glamorgan as well as in Vienna and for the home game against Georgia on Sunday.

Sportsmail understands the additional protection will be discreet but ready to act in case of any disturbances. Wales manager Chris Coleman has said: 'Whatever support Gareth needs from us, we will make sure he gets it. He is Gareth Bale, so there are always going to be people who pry into his private life.

'But these things are not really connected to Gareth - they are to do with somebody connected to somebody who's connected to Gareth.'  

 

It is believed the arson attacks started last month after a suitcase containing cash, cocaine and watches worth £1million disappeared along with Epiphany Dring - the glamour model cousin of Bale's fiancee. 

Meanwhile, Coleman has confirmed Wales will not play a friendly before facing Serbia next month, as opposed to England who are taking on Spain.

Coleman said: 'I like a friendly if it’s against opposition like Argentina or Spain where we’re going to be right up against it, not one where we should win. I don’t see what we’d get out of playing those type of friendlies.

'A lot of other countries have a friendly and then a competitive game but I've said I don't want a friendly. To be fair to our FA, I've said: "Give me that time to work with the team and get them ready for the game." That costs us money sometimes because we can earn money off good friendlies.

'But that three or four days having them together working solely tactically, for me as an international manager, is invaluable.' 

 

www.primenewsghana.com