Inside the chaos of the rescheduled England match that never was – after FIFA U-turned on bringing Mexico face-off forward to avoid storm

Storms threaten chaos at England’s World Cup clash with Mexico on Monday morning; The complicated U-turn at kick-off stunned the fans.

Travel plans were thrown into disarray after football chiefs made a mad dash to start the game six hours earlier than planned to avoid forecast torrential rain and lightning.

This would have meant the England-Mexico match kicking off at 6pm UK time instead of 1am on Monday morning, throwing the Three Lions’ preparations into confusion and disrupting the flights and hotels of thousands of fans.

After hours of shenanigans, fan backlash and behind-the-scenes discussions between FIFA and the English and Mexican football associations, the match was reverted to its original kick-off time, meaning 1am for fans in Britain.

But forecasters warn there is a 90 per cent chance of storms during the last 16 matches at the Azteca Stadium. The weather warning warns that ‘the danger of serious severe thunderstorms and potential localized flooding… is expected to peak…’ between 18:00 and 19:00 local time, at the time of the match.

FIFA’s strict safety rules around extreme weather mean that any lightning strike detected within eight miles of the stadium will automatically trigger a 30-minute delay, and any subsequent lightning will reset the timer.

Teary-eyed fans in the UK, already facing very late bedtimes, could stay up all night if the match is postponed until the storm has passed. Employers are preparing for the ‘disease’ outbreak tomorrow morning.

The complex change in start time was first revealed by Mexican media on Friday night, leading some to wonder if there was sabotage. Mexican fans had threatened to disrupt the England team’s first night’s sleep in Mexico City by honking car horns and setting off fireworks near the team hotel; This caused the riot police to form a steel ring around the team.

Azteca Stadium, where England will face Mexico tomorrow morning. Forecasters warn there is a 90 percent chance of storms during the match. Weather warning warns of ‘threat of severe storms and potential localized flooding’

Mexican broadcaster TUDN’s Andres Vaca told the story of the possible change to the kick-off time at 6.30pm UK time, prompting consternation at the dramatic last-minute change.

At the time, the England team were completing an open training session in Kansas and the Football Association (FA) had no knowledge of this.

It was not until around 8pm that the ‘confused’ FA were informed that FIFA did indeed intend to change the kick-off time; this was an unprecedented event for a World Cup match. This means canceling the UK camp’s meticulous preparations, which include adjusting meal times and activities for the high altitude.

Mexican media covered the FIFA change as fact, triggering mass confusion as traveling fans were exposed to uncertainty as they tried to figure out whether they would need to change their flights and hotel bookings.

Owen Pickering, 61, spends £20,000 to travel to England games with his family and keeps hotel costs low by not arriving in Mexico until match day. If kick-off had been brought forward six hours, he said, ‘they wouldn’t have been able to play the game and I would have been heartbroken’.

Mr Pickering, from Crawley, West Sussex, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘FIFA is rubbish, it’s awful. They don’t think anyone will go to the match. Does it matter to them that we show up? Not exactly. They don’t care if it ruins everyone’s life.’

He added: ‘There will be a lot of fans who may be in the same situation as us. ‘I have a friend who is trying to relocate his plane and it’s been a huge expense.’

At around 9.30pm England boarded their chartered flight to Mexico City and were in an absurd situation, still not knowing when their match would be. Javier Aguirre, the head coach of the Mexican team, was also very angry about the proposal to switch from 18.00 local time to noon time, describing it as a ‘kick in the stomach’ and said: ‘There is absolutely no advantage in playing at noon. None. It really throws a wrench into everything.’

Harry Kane arrived in Mexico’s capital. At around 9.30pm England boarded their chartered flight to Mexico City and were in an absurd situation, still not knowing when their match would be.

The UK team, informed of the uncertainty before leaving Kansas, put on a brave face. Midfielder Morgan Rogers said: ‘It’s just an obstacle to overcome, we’ll take it as it is’, while Marcus Rashford said: ‘We need to focus. We must be ready for anything.’

The BBC has also been dragged into this situation amid speculation that the time change is designed ‘for better TV viewing figures in Europe’. Spanish-language Fox Sports claimed that the BBC, the official World Cup broadcasting rights holder, was behind the move to provide a more convenient viewing time for its viewers in Britain. The BBC denied the claim, saying it was ‘not involved in these discussions’.

Finally, after backlash from both the England and Mexican camps and the nightmare logistics of police, military, teams, officials and fans’ messy schedules, FIFA pulled off a spectacular U-turn.

Mexican journalist Andres Vaca, who published the story and hung on to it for hours, issued an apology. He tweeted: ‘I made a mistake approving this. I apologize to everyone for this. But the information was real. It is so real that many journalists from different media outlets in Mexico have confirmed it with their sources. Even the BBC in England confirmed what I said. I made a mistake in presenting this as a fact. ‘I apologize to everyone.’

Official tournament weather reports specific to Azteca Stadium, prepared for FIFA’s planning purposes and seen by Sky Sports News, show there is still a 90 per cent risk of lightning storms at the stadium at kick-off.

The reports state that ‘lightning activity that may temporarily impact outdoor operations’ is expected and that match officials should ‘be prepared for lightning safety procedures’.

Several matches have already faced long suspensions due to freak storms, including Mexico’s win over Ecuador at the Azteca and France’s win over Iraq.