England’s World Cup preparations face a serious threat from destructive Mexican supporters. Thomas Tuchel’s side are preparing for a sleepless night ahead of a crucial match against Mexico. England will face the co-hosts in a crucial last-16 draw at the legendary Azteca Stadium.
The Three Lions secured a place in the knockout stages with a tense win over the Democratic Republic of Congo thanks to a late brace from Harry Kane. Thousands of Mexican fans are set to gather outside England’s team hotel to help the team endure a night of nightmares, according to reports. The protests are expected to include loudspeakers, vehicles, music, motorbikes and horns in a bid to disrupt England’s players’ rest.
The planned disruption is causing major headaches for England and the Football Association. Ideally, England would arrive in Mexico City later to minimize the impact of altitude on performance.
The FA are also keen to keep the location of the team hotel secret. However, FIFA tournament rules stipulate that teams must arrive in the host city within 24 hours of kick-off, scheduled for 6pm local time (1am UK) on Sunday.
Local police will be stationed at the team’s home base, but the attention of Mexican supporters seems inevitable.
Ecuador faced the same problem before their last-32 match against Mexico in Mexico City earlier this week. The Ecuadorian international was kept awake from midnight to early morning due to the huge crowd that had gathered outside his accommodation.
Mexico won 2-0, setting up a big showdown with the Three Lions. In Mexican soccer, it is an established tradition to disrupt the opposing team the night before a match.
These ambushes evolved into a divisive tactic, deployed for the sole purpose of spooking rival factions ahead of a high-stakes matchup with Mexico.
Following the incident in Mexico City, the Ecuadorian Football Federation filed a formal complaint with FIFA, claiming that the World Cup does not meet the principles of fair play and equality that it is supposed to embody.
England face a formidable challenge at the Azteca Stadium, where Mexico have won all four games and are yet to concede a goal in this competition.
After the win against Ecuador, Julian Quinones, who scored two goals, said: “As an individual you can stand out, but it’s only possible with a great team performance. That’s our mindset. We have to keep fighting.”
“That’s how life is. You fight, fight, fight until you get what you want. Thank you to everyone who supported us and believed in us.”
