Jordan Henderson has spoken out for the first time after suffering a suspected broken arm while celebrating England’s victory over Mexico – a win that only happened after the prime minister personally intervened to stop Fifa moving the kick-off time by six hours.
Sir Keir Starmer instructed officials to argue against the proposed change, backed by the Football Association, which feared the switch would leave up to 3,000 travelling England fans unable to reach the Azteca Stadium in time. The Foreign Office also contacted British diplomats in Mexico City, asking them to make representations against the move.
“PM intervened to keep England-Mexico match on time; Henderson broke arm celebrating win.”
Fifa had planned to bring the match forward due to a forecast of thunderstorms and concerns about lightning and flooding around the stadium, which holds more than 87,000 spectators. But both the English and Mexican football associations objected to the change less than 48 hours before kick-off, citing disruption to fans’ travel plans and team preparations. Mexico’s manager, Javier Aguirre, called the proposals a “kick in the gut”.
After more than five hours of uncertainty, Fifa stuck to the original start time – though kick-off was then delayed by an hour because of the weather anyway. Speaking at a Downing Street reception, Sir Keir said: “We had to battle with the FA to get it back to where it was, which was counterintuitive.” The Football Association has not commented.
England won the match 3-2, with Jude Bellingham scoring twice, setting up a World Cup quarter-final against Norway in Miami on Saturday. But the victory came at a cost: Henderson, the veteran midfielder, suffered a suspected broken arm while celebrating the win. He has now spoken publicly for the first time about the injury, though his exact words were not disclosed by the club.
The chaotic chain of events – from a prime ministerial diplomatic intervention to a freak injury in the dressing room – underscored how much can hinge on a single match. For England fans, the drama may not be over: Miami awaits.
