Downing Street clarifies Starmer’s role in England World Cup kick-off talks amid political interference row

Downing Street has moved to clarify Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s involvement in discussions surrounding the kick-off time for England’s World Cup match against Mexico, amid a wider controversy concerning potential political interference in Fifa by American president Donald Trump.

Sir Keir is understood to have intervened to prevent Fifa from bringing forward the match’s kick-off time from 6pm local to 12pm local on Sunday. Such a change would have significantly curtailed England’s preparations for the last-16 fixture, which was played at high altitude in Mexico City.

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News of Sir Keir’s intervention emerged on the same day Fifa faced accusations of succumbing to political pressure from President Trump regarding a red card issued to United States striker Folarin Balogun. However, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman was keen to distinguish between the two situations.

"The Prime Minister was clear that he was supportive of representations made by the Football Association regarding the practical implications of a proposed scheduling change for the team’s preparations," the spokesman stated.

"The final decision on fixture timings remained a matter for Fifa. But as we’ve consistently said, decisions on disciplinary matters and the application of rules of the game are for Fifa and for the relevant football authorities."

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When pressed on the exact nature of the Government’s actions – specifically whether they engaged with the Mexican government or FIFA directly – the spokesman responded: "I’m not going to go into the internal processes behind it, but the Prime Minister has said that he was supportive of the representations made by the FA, and I think that’s on record that the FA have made representations about the scheduling change and the impact it would have potentially on the England team. But as I say, the final decision on that, the fixture timings remained a matter for Fifa."

Ultimately, the match kicked off an hour later than originally scheduled due to thunderstorms in the local area.

England, however, maintained their composure to secure a 3-2 victory and advance to the quarter-finals thanks to a first-half brace from Jude Bellingham and a Harry Kane penalty in the second half.

Fifa has been approached for comment.

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