England’s World Cup last-16 clash with Mexico was thrown into fresh uncertainty on Sunday night after Fifa reversed a plan to move the kick-off time by six hours because of severe thunderstorms, prompting a wave of tabloid fury and leaving publicans counting the cost of the dithering.
The Sunday People led with the headline “Kicking up a storm”, while the Sunday Mirror splashed “Kicking off” alongside a photograph of Harry Kane captioned “World Cup fiasco”. Publicans across the country told the Mirror that the shifting schedule had disrupted staff rotas and hit their bottom line. The Sun, however, quoted the England captain as hoping fans could enjoy “all nighters” if his team progress to the quarter-finals.
“England's World Cup last-16 tie with Mexico faces storm threat and extra security, while papers rage over kick-off time”
The match, due to kick off at 1am BST on Monday at the Estadio Azteca – scene of Diego Maradona’s contrasting double in 1986 – will now go ahead at the original time, with Fifa confirming no change. But concerns over violent weather persist, and the Three Lions have been given extra security after earlier disruptive fan behaviour in the tournament. Members of the Mexican National Guard met Thomas Tuchel’s squad at their hotel following incidents in which loudspeakers, horns and motorbikes were used to disturb the Ecuadoran team. Tuchel said his side had faced “no issues” and described their arrival as “respectful and emotional”.
Declan Rice has been declared fully fit in a significant injury boost, though Tuchel must solve the problem at right-back. Mexico, buoyed by four consecutive wins, have an unbeaten 13-year run at the Azteca to protect. The co-hosts will have 17,000 police officers deployed on the streets of Mexico City for what is widely seen as the biggest game in their football history.
Outside the stadium, political rows dominated the Sunday papers. The Mail on Sunday reported that Andy Burnham is plotting a “financial raid” on homeowners by lowering the threshold for a “punitive mansion tax” to include properties worth £1.5m, which it said would hit more than 150,000 families with four-figure tax hikes. The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change issued a “stark warning” against a capital gains tax rise, telling Burnham it would send “precisely the wrong message at precisely the wrong time”.
The Sunday Times meanwhile claimed Reform UK leader Nigel Farage may have broken MPs’ rules by failing to declare funding for security, drivers, staff and accommodation from a crypto-gambler who, the paper said, has a US conviction for wire fraud. A spokesman for Farage dismissed the investigation as a “baseless and contrived story” and said no rules had been broken. Reform added that the support came before Farage announced he would stand for parliament, meaning it did not need to be declared.
And the Sunday Express revealed that HS2 has spent £77.8m on consultants in a single year, with £46.8bn spent to date on the high-speed rail link. The paper said it remained unclear how much more would be needed.