British political figures, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Foreign Secretary, became involved in a dispute over the scheduled kick-off time for England's World Cup match against Mexico. FIFA had considered moving the match forward by six hours due to a forecast of thunderstorms.
Starmer reportedly instructed officials to argue that the match should remain in its original time slot. The British Ambassador to Mexico was also contacted by Yvette Cooper to request that British diplomats in the country make representations against the proposed change. The concern was that a shift in timing would prevent approximately 3,000 traveling England fans from attending.
Fifa's proposal to advance the match was prompted by fears about potential lightning and flooding around the Azteca Stadium. However, both the English and Mexican football associations objected to the time change, which was considered less than 48 hours before kick-off. Objections cited concerns about the impact on fans' travel arrangements and the teams' preparations. Mexican football manager Javier Aguirre described the proposals as a "kick in the gut."
After more than five hours of uncertainty, FIFA decided to adhere to the originally planned start time. Despite this, the actual kick-off was delayed by an hour due to the prevailing weather conditions.