The crucial last-16 clash has been delayed after thunderstorms swept across Mexico City
England’s World Cup last-16 clash against Mexico has officially been delayed by at least an hour after severe thunderstorms swept across Mexico City.
The highly-anticipated fixture was scheduled to kick off at 1am BST (6pm local time) but has now been pushed back until at least 2am BST, with officials – who have been monitoring the weather closely – set to then reassess the conditions. If they are still considered unsafe, further 30-minute delays could then be implemented until it is deemed safe for the game to go ahead.
Announcing the development live on the BBC, presenter Kelly Cates – who moments earlier had told viewers the game looked set to get started on time – confirmed that kick-off had been delayed by an hour.
Interrupting pundit Wayne Rooney, Cates said: “We have breaking news, which is that kick-off – having told you about 30 seconds ago it was about to get underway as planned – looks like it’s going to be delayed by an hour.”
It comes after the Azteca Stadium’s electrical storm safety protocol was triggered by the thunder, lightning and torrential rain that swept across the Mexican capital three hours before the scheduled kick-off.
Under those rules, officials suspended access to the pitch, with nobody allowed onto the playing surface while the storm continued and media representatives ordered to stay inside until conditions improved.
Supporters were also prevented from entering the stadium, while the arrival of both teams was also delayed in light of the conditions, with those in the stadium describing the thunder as “deafening”.
The delay will not only disrupt both teams’ preparations for the crucial knockout match, but will mean a long night for fans in England, with there now a chance that the game may not finish until gone 4am, or perhaps even later.
It also follows discussions that took place earlier this week over bringing the fixture forward to midday local time because of forecasts predicting severe weather later in the day.
According to reports, concerns extended beyond the forecast, with Mexican government officials also said to have raised security issues following the crowd crush that occurred after Mexico’s victory over Ecuador, in which four people lost their lives.
Senior officials approached FIFA on Thursday to discuss moving the kick-off time in an effort to reduce the risk of a repeat of those scenes.
However, the Football Association is believed to have resisted the proposal because of the disruption it would have caused to England supporters’ travel plans.
The Mexican Football Federation also opposed the change.
Ahead of kick-off, BBC meteorologist Tomasz Schafernaker gave an update on conditions around the Azteca Stadium, as he said: “Thunderstorms and shower clouds have been developing around Mexico City in the last few hours.
“On social media there are reports of downpours affecting parts of the city, however it is difficult to verify if lightning has been occurring close to the football ground itself.
“The showers are likely to continue to grow, threatening disruption. All eyes on the horizon and fingers crossed the storms stay well away, but it’s a close call. Any storms are likely to linger for hours.”
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