Mexico coach Javier Aguirre was furious at speculation that his side’s World Cup round of 16 match against England could be postponed by six hours.
Mexico coach Javier Aguirre dissatisfied with FIFA for changing kick-off time for match against England
Mexico coach Javier Aguirre has rejected FIFA’s attempt to move Azteca’s World Cup last-16 match against England to a noon kick-off on Sunday local time.
FIFA officials have confirmed that the much-anticipated contest will go ahead as originally scheduled, despite requests to move kick-off forward six hours due to thunderstorms in Mexico City.
But ahead of the dramatic U-turn, Aguirre expressed anger at soccer’s highest governing body’s handling of the whole ordeal.
He told Spanish-Mexican journalist Joaquín López Doriga on Radio Formula: “That’s right (he was told that it looked like the match was going to change). It’s like a gut punch, everything, the plan changes. It’s not completely ruined, but it’s almost ruined, because you have to swallow six hours of training that was scheduled.”
“Of course, we’re going to follow what FIFA says. I don’t like it at all and neither do the players. Of course, eating, napping, sleeping, physical therapy, everything, everything, it seems trivial, but it’s not.”
“The reason we have 60 people working here today is to make sure these 26 friends go out and win the game on Sunday. I mean, this is no small thing, the truth is this change is very important. So let me just say this: I understand the reasoning and the argument, but they didn’t consult me and I’m certainly pretty angry.”
Asked if this potential change would have given the hosts an advantage at the Azteca Stadium, Aguirre flatly replied:
“On the contrary, I will say that this was all staged, but from the day we talked in Ecuador, we didn’t know the schedule, we didn’t know the venue, we didn’t know the opponent. That’s true, but in the end, yes, they failed me a little, so, yes, we have no choice but to do what FIFA says.”
England left in the dark by FIFA, which was planning changes behind the scenes (Image: The FA via Getty Images)
FIFA appears to have hatched a secret plan that was first leaked online by a Mexican journalist, and England were left in the dark by FIFA.
In fact, FA chiefs only became aware of the potential change after becoming aware of rumors swirling on social media.
Mirror Football also contacted the Mexican Football Federation, which also claimed it had not been consulted about the possible changes.
Many England fans are also thought to have been due to arrive in Mexico City from Heathrow Airport at 2pm local time on Sunday, and would have missed the match had it been brought forward.
The FA was seriously concerned about the impact any changes would have on England fans who travel far and wide to watch this historic match in one of football’s great cathedrals.
Now, with the first kick-off time over and England’s players flying into Toluca from their home base in Kansas City on Friday night, the task at hand is clear.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Upgrade your World Cup TV setup with Sky Glass ‘designed for soccer’
From £4.50
sky
Get the deal here
Sky is marking the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 20% discount on its entire range of glass TVs. Until June 17, shoppers can upgrade to a Sky smart TV ‘designed for football’ from £4.50 a month when taken with a Sky TV and Netflix package.
