But for Fifa rules, the England squad would have flown to Mexico City yesterday for a short, sharp bid to beat the altitude, Mexico and a deafening local crowd of 80,000 in 90 heroic minutes.
As it is, Harry Kane and company were forced to train yesterday in depleted oxygen in a stadium as high as Europe’s highest ski resort, and if Ecuador’s experience is any guide their sleep will have been interrupted by an all-night soundtrack of revving motorbikes, airhorns and loudspeakers.
All’s fair, apparently, in love, war and football.
Keir Starmer confirmed on Thursday that emergency legislation would allow pubs to stay open until 5am, explaining that the move would be “really good for pubs” after several had previously announced they would be forced to close due to licensing regulations. The government’s intervention was welcomed by the hospitality industry, and the childcare app Bubble also reported a 50% rise in bookings for tomorrow morning.
The news was not as warmly received by police: the National Police Chiefs’ Council leads for football policing and alcohol licensing criticised the late timing of the decision.
“We know from previous tournaments the knockout games sadly see an increase in violent incidents particularly in the night-time economy and an increase in domestic abuse. This is directly linked to alcohol consumption,” read a joint statement.
“The likely route for England progression has been known for a considerable time, yet this late announcement leaves policing having to adapt our plans, seeing officers working extended shifts which in turn takes them away from communities.”
There is now national clarity over pubs, but whether or not schools allow pupils to arrive later in the day has been decided on a case-by-case basis.
England manager Thomas Tuchel, noting the 1am kick-off time back in the UK, called for youngsters to be allowed to stay up and watch England’s round-of-16 clash following Wednesday’s win. “Write an excuse for school and let them watch football. They have so much school to go to, but the World Cup is every four years,” he said. “Let them watch – there will be a big, big match in four days and we need the support of everyone and especially of the children.”
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A Downing Street spokesperson said that “it is up to parents to make their own decisions”, while stressing that “children should be at school on Monday”. Those comments were backed by the skills minister, Baroness Jacqui Smith, who said that she would be taking “a little disco nap” before working as normal.
Several schools announced alternative plans for tomorrow, with some allowing pupils to arrive by 10am and still receive their morning attendance mark. Purwell Primary School in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, is offering even more flexibility, keeping registers open until 10.30am.
Other schools asked parents to avoid telling their children the score so that a repeat screening of the match could then be shown to pupils upon their arrival the next morning, including at Sir Alexander Fleming Primary School in Telford, Shropshire. “We would love the children to enjoy it together as a school community instead,” read a post asking parents to instigate a “media blackout” in the morning.
Nodding off will be less of a concern for anyone attending a watch party starting at 10pm at Corrochio’s, a popular Mexican restaurant in Dalston, north-east London. Ticket holders have been promised “complimentary Mexican flags, matracas [football rattles], [spicy] Tajin popcorn and maybe even a piñata” as part of a six-hour experience.
Supporters who go the distance watching at home will no doubt feel slightly weary in the morning, leading to calls for a sympathetic approach from employers ahead of an expected spike in “sick days”.
Petra Wilton, director of policy at the Chartered Management Institute, said: “If millions of people have stayed up until 3am supporting their team, asking employers to let them start a little later the next morning is simply common sense. We’re saying to employers across the country: ‘Let them start late.’” Whether that advice is heeded is another matter.
Illustrations by Masie Cowell