Keir Starmer stepped in as FIFA made major decision before England vs Mexico

Despite announcing his resignation as UK Prime Minister a couple of weeks ago, Sir Keir Starmer reportedly decided to personally intervene in FIFA’s decision-making process ahead of England’s World Cup round-of-16 clash against Mexico.

On July 6, Thomas Tuchel’s side put in a gallant display at Mexico City Stadium – formerly the Estadio Azteca – coming out 3-2 winners despite playing much of the second half with 10 men following Jarrel Quansah’s sending-off.

Jude Bellingham’s quick-fire brace put England 2-0 up after 38 minutes before Mexico forward Julián Quiñones beat Jordan Pickford to draw his side back into the game.

However, a Harry Kane penalty restored England’s two-goal buffer on the hour mark. But the drama did not stop there, as the England captain conceded a spot-kick after catching Brian Gutiérrez’s foot in the penalty area before Raúl Jiménez slotted home the resulting penalty.

England managed to hold on after a truly dramatic evening in Mexico City. Earlier in the day, kick-off had been delayed by an hour due to thunderstorms.

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The 1am British Summer Time kick-off had already been a talking point before the fixture, with it widely reported that FIFA planned to bring it forward to 7pm on Sunday (July 5) to avoid the storms.

However, the original kick-off time remained after backlash from both the English and Mexican football associations.

Starmer intervenes in FIFA decision

Now, according to The Sun, it appears that UK Prime Minister Starmer also had a hand in influencing the kick-off time.

The outlet reports that the PM told the FA he was against the match being moved forward, as this would have given England less time to adapt to the altitude.

A source told the outlet: “The Mexicans were really talking up the storm and were pressing to move the game.

“But Keir was having none of it and suspected they were trying to derail England’s preparations by giving them less time to adapt to the altitude, so he put his foot down.”

It is also claimed that the FA directly contacted Downing Street to see whether it agreed with the time being moved.

This came after the PM made the decision to keep pubs open until 5am to allow fans to watch the match with their friends and family.

“Football might be coming home, but we’re making sure fans don’t have to,” he said.

“Pubs staying open till the final whistle is good news for supporters and good news for the pubs and venues that bring our communities together.”

England return to World Cup action against Norway on July 11, with the quarter-final set to take place at Miami Stadium.