Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre has slammed the decision to change their World Cup game against England to an earlier kick-off time.
The match between England and Mexico at Azteca Stadium was initially scheduled to take place at 6pm local time on Sunday (1am BST on Monday).
However, due to forecasts of heavy thunderstorms and rain in the area, the fixture has been switched to an earlier time of 12:00pm local time (7pm BST on Sunday), although FIFA has yet to officially announce the decision.
Aguirre, however, says he is ‘furious’ with the decision and claims his Mexico players, who are yet to concede a goal at the World Cup, are not prepared to play the game at noon.
Don’t miss a World Cup moment
What a rollercoaster this has been. Make sense of the drama with Metro’s free daily newsletter, featuring England updates, match previews and exclusive analysis. Sign up now.
‘This change feels like a kick in the stomach. Now we have to rethink everything,’ Aguirre told Radio Formula.
‘It’s not like all the work we’ve done goes out the window, but it comes pretty close because we’re losing six hours that were part of our entire matchday plan.
‘I don’t like it at all. Obviously, we’ll comply with whatever FIFA decides, but neither my players nor I are happy about it.
‘There’s absolutely no advantage to playing at noon. None whatsoever. It really throws a wrench into everything.
‘FIFA is in charge, so we’ll just have to deal with it. If anyone asked me, I’d say keep the 6pm kick-off. It’s a significant change. I can understand there may be reasons behind it but nobody consulted me, and yes, I’m pretty upset. At the end of the day, though, our job is to go out there and win.
‘Recovery is the issue. I have two players who are not fully fit, and those extra six hours would have helped. It seems insignificant, but it’s not.
‘The medical staff has been working to have them ready for 6pm, not 12pm, so now I may have to take them out of the starting line-up.
‘We have to adjust the schedule, but FIFA is in charge and we have no choice. If you ask me, at 6pm I don’t care who the opponent is because it’s my home, it’s my time, and it’s what suits us best.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.