MEXICO CITY — Severe weather at the Azteca Stadium saw a shelter-in-place order called just a few hours before kick-off in the round-of-16 World Cup match between Mexico and England.
The order was issued around three hours before kick-off, with spectators taking shelter underneath the roof of the Azteca, while security and other personnel were huddled under gazebos and any other shelter they could find.
Thunder was heard over the top of the stadium, while lightning flashed as rain and hail pelted down. Media and spectators were told to remain under cover until the storm cleared.
This all comes after there were discussions on Friday as to whether the match should be moved earlier in the day to avoid these storms. At one stage it looked like the match would start at 12 p.m. local time — six hours earlier than planned — but after further talks, the kick-off remained as planned.
Both Javier Aguirre and Thomas Tuchel said neither camp was distracted by the discussions. Though Aguirre did go on Mexican radio to voice his displeasure at the call to move the kick-off earlier. When it looked like the match would kick off at 12 p.m., he said the decision was a “kick in the gut” and he “didn’t like it at all.”
Weather forecasts show the storm continuing to thunder right until kick-off. FIFA protocol says that a match must be halted if a lightning strike is within an eight-mile radius. Play will be stopped and will not restart unless there is a 30-minute period without a lightning strike. Every lightning strike sets the timer back to zero, and the 30-minute countdown starts again.
Altitude, meanwhile, is a hurdle for England at the Azteca.
“The altitude will be, of course, a big disadvantage, because we cannot physically adapt to it in four days,” Tuchel said. “It’s just impossible and more obstacles will maybe come.
“But we are ready for that, we need it maybe. We have the ideal platform now to genuinely believe that we are ready for that, and when the going gets tough, that we will find the answers.”
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Tuchel also insisted that his players must remain composed despite the tricky build-up to facing Mexico.
“It is so much noise. When you are inside of the bubble, it is actually quite calm, quite focused,” he said on Saturday.
“And the bigger the stages, the bigger the noises, the calmer the preparation. I think the players were not even aware of a possible change of kickoffs and just this example shows you to not lose your heads.
“We cannot influence it. Three-and-a-half hours later, you land in Mexico and the kickoff time stayed the same. It is just not worth losing our heads. Altitude: it is what it is. Home crowd: it is what it is. It is not in our favour.
“We need to overcome obstacles but we have the spirit, we have the commitment, the pure will and the glue between the team to overcome these things. That’s why I am positive. We know what’s coming. The players will feel it, we will all feel it tomorrow when the energy is on. But that’s also the beauty of it. We focus completely on what is possible to be influenced by us.”
