Cape Town, Feb 18 : England’s World Cup security plans have been thrown into doubt after a woman was found murdered in a South African hotel, where manager Fabio Capello is due to check-in soon.

Capello is scheduled to arrive in the hotel to attend a key FIFA pre-World Cup conference next week.

Hotel marketing manager Colleen van Eyk was found dead at the exclusive resort, just 20 miles from the hotel where the England team is planning to set up camp for the June tournament, The Daily Star reports.

The incident has added to fears over the safety of England’s players and fans due to the country’s sky-high crime rate.

Police have launched an investigation as officials frantically prepare for the conference, which is set to feature managers and coaches from 32 countries.

“The dead woman had a telephone cord around her neck. Preliminary investigations show she was brutalized before being strangled to death,” Superintendent Lesego Metsi said.

“The police also found some traces of blood on the walls and it is suspected that the deceased was thrown against the walls,” he added.

He further informed that the murdered mother-of-two, who had worked at the resort since 1992, had been reading in her staff apartment when she was attacked. (ANI)