Mexican fans gathered outside the England national team’s hotel in Mexico City on the night before their round-of-16 World Cup match, using loudspeakers, horns, drums, music, and fireworks to disrupt the players’ sleep [1, 2, 3, 4]. The disruptions took place near the JW Marriott hotel in the Santa Fe area, continuing until about 2 a.m. Sunday morning [3, 4].
Police in riot gear were deployed to secure the hotel vicinity and moved the fans away to prevent closer disturbances [1, 2, 4]. England had booked 15 hotels in the city to conceal their actual location, but Mexican fans still found their stay at the JW Marriott [4].
England manager Thomas Tuchel downplayed the impact of the disruptions. He said the atmosphere was friendlier than expected and that players could make up lost sleep due to the 6 p.m. kickoff on Sunday. "We have a 6 p.m. [Sunday] kickoff, so if we miss some hours of sleep, we'll make them up in the late morning," Tuchel said [1, 3]. He also described the home fans as "friendly and respectful," noting it was "nicer" than he expected [1, 4].
Earlier in the tournament, Mexican fans used a similar tactic against Ecuador’s team ahead of their match with Mexico, prompting Ecuador to lodge an official noise complaint with FIFA [1, 3, 4].
The round-of-16 match kicks off Sunday evening in Mexico City, with security expected to remain tight around the England team’s hotel to prevent further disturbances.
