Keir Starmer intervened to oppose Fifa’s plan to move England kick-off time

PM stepped in over proposal to shift World Cup match to an earlier time, amid concerns it would benefit Mexico Keir Starmer intervened through diplomatic channels to oppose Fifa’s plan to bring forward England’s World Cup game against Mexico, amid concerns the change would hand the hosts an unfair advantage, it is understood. The prime minister instructed officials to argue against proposals to move the kick-off from 1am UK time (6pm local time) to earlier after being alerted by the Football Association that it would reduce England’s time to acclimatise to the high altitude in Mexico City. The intervention, first reported by the Sun, came before England’s dramatic 3-2 victory over World Cup co-hosts Mexico at the Azteca Stadium on Monday morning, which secured a place in the quarter-finals against Norway. The Mexico match was originally scheduled to begin at 1am UK time but was delayed by an hour after the stadium activated its thunderstorm protocol because of the threat of lightning. Asked about Britain stepping in at a reception in Downing Street on Monday, Starmer told attendees: “We had to battle with the FA to get it back to where it was, which was counterintuitive.â