The prime minister and overseas secretary had been concerned in arguing for the kick-off time for England’s World Cup match in opposition to Mexico to not be moved earlier – as mooted by Fifa within the days earlier than the sport.
Sir Keir Starmer instructed officers to make the case, backed by the Soccer Affiliation, that the match ought to stay in its authentic time slot, as first reported by the Solar newspaper, exterior.
Yvette Cooper spoke to the British ambassador to Mexico, to ask that British diplomats made representations in opposition to a change, to make sure that the three,000 travelling England followers did not miss the match because of this.
Fifa had been set to carry the match ahead by six hours, resulting from a forecast of thunderstorms.
In the long run, Fifa caught to the scheduled begin time, however kick-off was then delayed by an hour due to the climate.
Talking at a Downing Avenue reception, Sir Keir stated: “We needed to battle with the FA to get it again to the place it was, which was counterintuitive.”
The Soccer Affiliation has not commented.
