Both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Office intervened to argue that the kick-off time for England’s World Cup clash with Mexico should not be brought forward — an idea Fifa had floated in the days leading up to the match.
Sir Keir Starmer directed officials to press the case, with the Football Association’s support, that the fixture should stay in its original slot, as originally disclosed by the Sun newspaper, external.
Foreign Office staff also contacted British diplomats in Mexico City, asking them to speak out against any change, in an effort to ensure the 3,000 travelling England supporters would not miss the game.
Fifa had been poised to shift the match six hours earlier because of forecasts of storms.
Ultimately, Fifa kept the scheduled start time, although kick-off was subsequently pushed back an hour due to the weather.
At a Downing Street reception, Sir Keir said: “We had to battle the FA to get the original time back, which seemed counterintuitive.”
The Football Association offered no comment.
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