England’s World Cup dream is under serious threat from disruptive Mexican supporters.
Thomas Tuchel’s stars are facing a sleepless night ahead of their crunch showdown with Mexico. England will face the co-hosts in a crunch last-16 clash in the Azteca Stadium.
The Three Lions booked their place in the round of 16 after a nervy win over DR Congo put them on a collision course with Mexico.
And thousands of Mexican supporters are planning to gather outside the England team hotel to give the squad a night from hell. This will see them use loudspeakers, cars, music, motorbikes and horns to disturb the England team’s sleep.
The ambush promises to provide a logistical nightmare for England and the FA. England would prefer a late arrival in Mexico City – to mitigate the effects of it being at altitude.
England are also keen to keep the identification of the team hotel under wraps. But due to FIFA tournament rules, teams have to be in the city hosting the game within 24 hours of kick off, which is 8pm local time on Sunday.
Local police will be in place at the team base – but attention from Mexican fans will be inevitable.
Ecuador faced the same problem ahead of their last 32 game with Mexico in Mexico City this week. The Ecuador team were kept awake from midnight until the early hours of the morning due to a huge gathering outside their hotel.
Mexico went in to win the game 2-0 to set up a seismic showdown with the Three Lions. Keeping rival teams awake on the eve of games has become a huge tradition in Mexico.
View 2 ImagesMexico fans gathered outside Ecuador’s hotel before their last 32 clash
The ambushes are now used as a a polarising weapon aimed at weakening the rival side ahead of big matches involving Mexico.
The Ecuadorian Football Federation has lodged a complaint to FIFA after the incident in Mexico City, stating it had not upheld the principles of fair play and equality a World Cup should be all about.
It will be a daunting trip to the Azteca Stadium, with Mexico having managed four wins from four so far and still being yet to concede a goal.
Julian Quinones, who has two goals to his name, said after the win over Ecuador: “You can stand out as an individual, but that’s only possible because of the team’s great performance. That’s our mindset. We have to keep fighting.
“That’s how life is: you fight, fight, and fight until you get what you want. Thank you to everyone who supported us and believed in us.”
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