England v Mexico: How parents and schools are preparing for the World Cup match

“Write an excuse for school and let them watch it.”

This was England manager Thomas Tuchel’s advice to parents on whether children should be allowed to stand to support England in their World Cup match against Mexico in the early hours of Monday.

The time difference means the round of 16 match against the home teams in Mexico City will not start until 01:00 CEST and, if it goes to penalties, will not finish until 04:00.

Speaking to the media after the Three Lions’ victory over DR Congo on Wednesday, a smiling Tuchel said: “There are a lot of schools to go to, but the World Cup happens every four years. Let them watch.”

But some parents and teachers worry about the knock-on effect.

In the past, some schools suspended classes to allow children to watch matches in the knockout stages of tournaments; But the odd timing of the Mexico game raises some complicated logistical questions.

Let kids stay up on Monday and risk a wasted day at school – or force young fans to miss out on what could be a vital victory on the road to World Cup glory?

Unsurprisingly, parents are divided.

A mother from Epping in Essex spoke of the survival prospects of her two young children: “They couldn’t do this even if they wanted to.

“They had difficulty getting to the 21:00 kick-off of the Ghana match.”

Another parent said that they would allow their children to watch the match live, but they expected them to be ready for school the next morning.

They wrote to X: “Mine will be watching the next day and will continue to go to school.

“What’s the big deal? The last storms woke them up at 2 a.m. and kept them awake for hours, and they had no problem getting to school the next day.”

A third parent praised Tuchel’s comments and called for every student to be given the day off from school on Monday.