England faced the prospect of their World Cup finals kick-off being brought forward, but they learned only through the media and were left dissatisfied with FIFA’s plans.
Thomas Tuchel and England stunned by news of potential kick-off change (Image: Martin Rickett/PA Wire)
This will go down as another chapter in the farce surrounding England’s visit to Mexico City.
For about six hours on Friday afternoon, the Football Association was left in the dark as to when the final 16 World Cup matches would actually kick off. Think about it for a moment. How terrible! That should embarrass FIFA and World Cup organizers.
England’s biggest game is less than 48 hours away…and we don’t know when it will start. All the preparations, all the training, the use of silo chambers, and the endless planning of when is the best time to fly to Mexico has descended into complete chaos.
And when news broke in the Mexican media about a potential change to kick-off time from 6pm local (1am return to the UK) to 12pm local (7pm UK), the FA were completely unaware. They really learned about the debate from the media. What a shocking episode.
Apparently, it spread like wildfire through the England camp, with even England forward Marcus Rashford claiming: “For us, I think it’s the same as preparing for a game,” he said.
“It’s got to be the same. We’ve got to be focused. We’ve got to be ready for anything. I think that’s one of our strengths as a group. Everyone, including the players and the staff… are ready for whatever challenges are thrown at us. So obviously it’s not ideal, but that’s not really the point.”
The BBC owns the rights to the game, but even they were not informed of the controversy. So what actually happened?
Well, the answer is really simple. Weather forecasters predict a storm will develop in Mexico City on Sunday, with heavy rain and possible lightning strikes during the match. There is a possibility that the weather could break out during the game, but it is expected to clear up by 8pm local time. Weather forecasts have become surprisingly accurate.
However, despite weather delays in both World Cups and Club World Cups, there was never any possibility that the kick-off time would be changed. So we talked not only with stadium staff, but also with local authorities, security and police.
Normally it would be kept secret, but in Mexico everything is out in the open. Perhaps for that reason, FIFA can be forgiven a little in this case. However, it is surprising that the discussion was held without informing the English Football Association, as even the Mexican manager complained that it made him “sick to his stomach.”
Last summer’s FIFA Club World Cup had no precedent for changing the match schedule.
The free agency has been completely kept in the dark, but so have Thomas Tuchel, his players and his staff.
As for England fans, a significant number have booked flights to arrive in Mexico in time for kick-off on Sunday. If it was moved, they would miss out.
FIFA consulted with the relevant authorities and ultimately decided to withdraw the decision. The English Football Association has made their feelings clear. The Mexican Football Association also made its dissatisfaction public.
But this certainly has an impact on the vileness surrounding this game. England must really feel as if there are conspiracy theories and plots to sabotage their World Cup campaign right now. Otherwise, they might be forgiven for thinking so.
Heavy rain is expected to occur around Azteca Stadium, prompting FIFA to consider changes (Image: Getty Images)
As it turns out, it wasn’t quite a backlash, it was actually purely logistical, with shift changes and reorganization of transportation and arrangements. It was too much. Now we need to be prepared for possible weather and delays.
However, the England team departed from their base in Kansas City on a private plane and took a three-hour flight to Mexico City as the plane had no Wi-Fi.
So they took off without knowing whether the game had actually been moved, and only discovered when they landed that the game was still in its original slot. Six hours after this story first broke, in Mexico, of course, it was confirmed that it would indeed begin as originally planned.
FIFA insists that no decision has been taken one way or another. Hmm…good luck with that. It was clearly something that people wanted to do, and it made me think again. What a ridiculous set and situation. It is hardly ideal preparation for an already difficult match in harsh conditions and climate.
Everyone would think the co-hosts were getting help…
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