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FIFA World Cup: Mexican fans blast horns to disrupt England players' sleep
AP News • • general
Key Points:
- Dozens of Mexican fans gathered outside the England national team's hotel in Mexico City, using loudspeakers, horns, and fireworks to disrupt players' sleep before their World Cup round-of-16 match.
- Similar tactics were used by Mexican supporters earlier in the week against Ecuador, leading to a formal complaint from the Ecuadorian football federation.
- England manager Thomas Tuchel acknowledged the disruption but minimized its impact, noting the 6 p.m. kickoff would allow players to recover lost sleep.
- These late-night hotel disturbances are a common and controversial tradition in Latin American football, originally meant to support the home team but now often used to psychologically unsettle opponents.
