The prime minister was forced to intervene in a last-minute row over England’s World Cup kick-off time – as a south-east London railway station was renamed in honour of the player whose two goals secured victory.
Sir Keir Starmer instructed officials to make the case, backed by the Football Association, that the match against Mexico should not be moved earlier, after Fifa mooted bringing it forward by six hours due to a forecast of storms. Foreign Office officials contacted British diplomats in Mexico City to request representations against the change, to ensure the 3,000 travelling England fans did not miss the match.
“PM intervened in kick-off row as Bellingham’s goals inspired station renaming.”
The proposed time-change was prompted by fears over lightning and flooding around the Azteca Stadium, which holds more than 87,000 spectators. Both the English and Mexican football associations objected less than 48 hours before kick-off, with concerns about fans’ travel plans and teams’ preparations. The Mexican 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 delayed by an hour because of the weather. 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.
On the pitch, England won 3-2, with Jude Bellingham scoring twice in two minutes during the first half and Harry Kane adding the third. Bellingham, who has scored four goals in the tournament, was named player of the match.
Meanwhile, Thameslink confirmed that Bellingham railway station in south-east London would retain its temporary forename – Jude – until Monday. The station was renamed ahead of the match as a good luck gesture. “With the gift of Bellingham station on our network, we couldn’t resist joining in on some World Cup fun,” Thameslink said. “We unveiled Jude Bellingham station ahead of England’s match against Mexico as a nice way to cheer on our team – little did we know then that Jude would end up scoring two out of the three goals in the game.”
The victory was watched by millions of fans, who powered through the 02:00 BST kick-off. Following the win, Bellingham told fans: “Text your bosses, tell them you’re not coming in, simple as that.”
Visiting the station on Monday, local resident Lee said: “We’ve just come down here to show our appreciation for Jude Bellingham, and hopefully he’s gonna get us to the final. Big up Jude, getting us them goals last night.”
England will play Norway in the quarter-final in Miami on Saturday at 22:00 BST.