England vs Mexico kick-off stays after FIFA U-turn ends five-hour chaos

For five and a half hours on Friday, no one knew when England would play their World Cup last-16 tie against co-hosts Mexico. The uncertainty began when Mexican journalist Andres Vaca of radio station TUDN broke the story that FIFA was considering moving the match forward by six hours to a midday local kick-off. The reason, sources said, was the threat of electrical thunderstorms and flooding around the Estadio Azteca at the original time. But anger erupted as both the English and Mexican football associations found out via social media rather than official channels. The FA had to chase information before being told around 20:00 BST that FIFA intended to alter the kick-off time. Behind the scenes, the two governing bodies locked in talks with FIFA, furious that the change was proposed less than 48 hours before kick-off. Issues raised included fan travel, the logistics of staging such a huge event at short notice, and the impact on teams' preparations. Mexico manager Javier Aguirre fiercely slammed the proposed shift, calling it "a kick in the gut" that would severely disrupt preparation, player nutrition, sleeping schedules and vital training plans. Moving the match would have also disrupted England's altitude preparation and deeply affected travelling supporters, some of whom were scheduled to land in Mexico. The decision to keep the original kick-off time came after FIFA backtracked, with the governing body's concerns centred primarily around supporter safety, with weather an additional driver. The match at the Azteca will now start at 18:00 local time on Sunday (01:00 BST on Monday), meaning fans in England must stay up late or set alarm clocks to watch live on BBC One and iPlayer. The chaotic episode unfolded against the backdrop of celebrations in Mexico City that left four people dead after the co-hosts' last-32 victory over Ecuador. England's squad, wrapping up an open training session in Kansas, first heard the news through social media. Morgan Rogers and Marcus Rashford had clearly been briefed before facing the media. The Football Association, caught off guard, had asked for more time to understand the reasoning behind a change that would have been unprecedented.