Mexico enraged as England kick-off time moved in last-minute chaos | Football | Sport

Mexico boss Javier Aguirre is furious about the prospect of their World Cup meeting with England being moved forward by six hours. The game was initially scheduled for 1am (UK time) in the early hours of Monday morning, which is 6pm local time in Mexico City.

Moving the kick-off time forward by six hours will hopefully skip the worst of the weather, minimising the possibility of delays.

However, not everybody is happy with the change, with Aguirre claiming that he will be forced to tweak his game plan as a result.

Speaking to radio station Grupo Formula, he said: “Like a kick in the stomach because clearly you change everything, the game plan, everything.

“Not that everything goes down the drain, but almost because you’re changing six hours. I don’t like it at all, but evidently we will abide by what FIFA says. But I especially don’t like any of it, and neither do my players.”

Aguirre added that he was informed of the change by FIFA on Friday afternoon.

The governing body are yet to issue public confirmation of their decision or officially communicate a new kick-off time.

“Not a minor change, the change is important,” added the Mexico boss. “I can understand their reasoning and arguments, but nobody consulted me. I’m very upset.”

The FA are thought to be concerned about the impact the rescheduled kick-off time will have on fans and the logistics for Thomas Tuchel’s side.

Tournament regulations state that FIFA have the right to “cancel, reschedule or relocate” matches “at its sole discretion”.