England's World Cup Match Against Mexico: Police Urge Fans to Stay Safe
England’s late-night World Cup date with Mexico will go ahead exactly as planned – and police say fans must match the players’ discipline off the pitch as the country braces for a 01:00 BST kick-off.
Fifa has confirmed that the last-16 tie in Mexico City will start at 18:00 local time on Monday, resisting a proposal to bring the game forward. For supporters back home, that means a Sunday night that bleeds into Monday morning, with pubs and fan zones expecting a long, heavy session.
Police see the risk as clearly as any manager reading a game.
Police warn: plan your night, plan your journey
Devon and Cornwall Police Supt Joe Matthews has urged fans to treat their travel arrangements with the same care Gareth Southgate will give his team sheet.
If you are drinking, he said, plan how you are getting to and from venues – and keep the car keys out of it.
His message was blunt: if you are driving, do not drink at all. Not a token pint. Not a “just one to be sociable”. Even a small amount, he warned, can affect a person’s ability to drive.
“There is no reliable way to drink and stay within the limit – because everyone is different you cannot work out a safe level by counting units,” he said.
The myths, he made clear, need to be kicked into touch. Time is the only thing that clears alcohol from the body – not sleep, not coffee, not a full English breakfast the morning after. And that brings another danger: the drive home the next day.
Matthews urged supporters to think very carefully about getting behind the wheel on Monday, with many likely to have had little sleep and plenty to drink. The hangover drive can be as dangerous as the late-night one.
‘You could save a life’
The superintendent did not shy away from asking the public to intervene.
If you suspect someone is about to drive after drinking or taking drugs, he said, call 999. Do not shrug it off. Do not assume someone else will step in. “You could save a life,” he stressed.
Behind the scenes, the force has already put a specific policing operation in place for the World Cup period, working closely with licensed premises and sharpening its focus on England match days, when emotions and alcohol both tend to surge.
He is under no illusions about what Monday morning will feel like in bars and living rooms across the region. He called it a “certainty” that emotions would be “running high” during and after the game.
The message, though, is to let the drama stay on the screen.
“Make the evening one to be remembered for all the right reasons,” he said.
Keep an eye on your mates
As England prepare for the heat and altitude of Mexico City, Matthews wants fans at home to look after their own.
“Keep an eye on your friends,” he said. “And if it looks like they are getting a bit out of hand, just have a quiet word, step in, and walk them away.”
On the pitch, the margins in a World Cup knockout tie are brutally fine. Off it, the margins between a brilliant night and a disastrous one can be just as thin – and decided in a split second at the bar, or in a car park, long after the final whistle.
