The World Cup round of 16 between Mexico and England, scheduled for Sunday July 5, once again took center stage.
After the Mexican government requested an earlier kick-off, against a backdrop of scorching heat predicted for Sunday evening, July 5, at noon, the talks stopped behind closed doors.
Talks took place between FIFA and the two national associations of the competing teams on Friday July 3.
According to the latest media reports, the kickoff time for the Mexico vs England Round of 16 match remains unchanged as originally scheduled at 6 p.m. local time in Mexico City.
What led to the decision to keep the kick-off time unchanged was opposition from the Mexican Football Association and the English Football Association, which prompted FIFA to reject calls for a change.
A report on ESPN points out that FIFA wanted to avoid a repeat of the clash between Mexico and Ecuador at the same venue in the round of 16, when the kick-off time was pushed back an hour due to stormy weather.
After this decision, Mexico boss Javier Aguirre spoke out against the proposed time change.
“It’s a kick in the stomach; now we have to change everything. It’s not that all the work is lost – although it’s close – because you have to eliminate six hours of planning. I don’t like that at all,” Aguirre told Radio Formula.
Adding: “Obviously we will respect what FIFA says, but neither my players nor I are satisfied with it.”
