Английн шигшээ багийн байрлаж буй зочид буудлын гадна Мексикийн хөгжөөн дэмжигчид цугларч, дуу шуугиан дэгдээснээр тамирчдын нойрыг хугаслах оролдлого хийжээ.
Тоглолтын өмнөх шөнө Мексикийн хөгжөөн дэмжигчид зочид буудлын гадна цугларч, дуут дохио хангинуулан, хөгжим тоглож, салют буудуулсан нь өмнө нь Эквадорын шигшээ багт тохиолдсон явдлыг давтлаа. Эквадорын хөлбөмбөгийн холбоо энэхүү үйлдлийг шударга өрсөлдөөн болон эв нэгдлийн зарчимд нийцэхгүй хэмээн эрс буруушаасан юм. Харин Английн багийн хувьд Томас Тухель чихний бөглөө бэлтгэж, тоглогч Морган Рожерс энэхүү саад бэрхшээлийг сэтгэл зүйн хувьд даван туулахад бэлэн байгаагаа илэрхийлжээ.
Цагдаагийн байгууллагаас зочид буудлын эргэн тойронд хоёр давхар хамгаалалтын бүс тогтоосон нь хөгжөөн дэмжигчдийн цугларалтыг хязгаарлахад нөлөөлсөн байна. Шөнийн 23:45 цагийн орчимд цагдаа нар олон нийтийг буудлын ойролцоох бүсээс албадан гаргаж, эмх цэгц тогтоов. Улмаар Английн шигшээ багийн тоглогчид томоохон саадгүйгээр амарч чадсан төлөвтэй байна.
Нутгийн оршин суугчид энэ үйлдлийг Мексикийн хөлбөмбөгийн соёлын нэг хэсэг хэмээн тайлбарлаж байсан ч, зарим хэсэг нь үүнийг хэтэрсэн үйлдэл гэж үзэн шүүмжилжээ. Хөгжөөн дэмжигчдийн зүгээс Английн багт ямар нэгэн ноцтой нөлөө үзүүлээгүй ч, Ацтека цэнгэлдэх хүрээлэнд болох тоглолтын үр дүн хөлбөмбөгийн талбай дээр л шийдэгдэх нь тодорхой байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Thomas Tuchel said that he would be packing ear plugs.
Morgan Rogers was calm but slightly apprehensive. “I won’t be happy if it wakes me up,” he said. “We’ll see how it goes and deal with it as best as possible. It’s just another obstacle to overcome, another hurdle.”
England’s manager and players were preparing — logistically and mentally — for what Mexicans call a ‘serenade’. It sounds romantic. Much more romantic than a load of people gathering outside the team hotel in the dead of night, and making a racket in an attempt to prevent Mexico’s next opponents from sleeping.
It had happened when Ecuador’s squad arrived in Mexico City on Monday evening: hundreds of people on the street, right at the bottom of the Westin Santa Fe, chanting and honking car horns well into the night. The scenes went viral on social media. They also provoked a stiff response from Ecuador’s football federation, who labeled it “conduct (that) falls far short of the principles of fair play, equity, and unity that a football World Cup should represent”.
This is, to be clear, not just a Mexican thing. It is a regular occurrence ahead of matches in South America, for instance, pretty much priced into any away game in the Copa Libertadores or the Sudamericana. Most of Ecuador’s players would have experienced it before. That didn’t make it any less annoying.
The question was whether the same thing would happen to England. Sunday night provided an answer: there was a repeat, but on a much smaller scale.
This time, the police were prepared. There were two perimeters set up, one preventing vehicles from passing, the other stopping anyone on foot. Even the inner ring was 200 metres from England’s hotel.
The cordon outside the hotel in Santa Fe, Mexico City (James Manning/PA Images via Getty Images)
At 11.20pm, there were no more than 30 people gathered on the road. A couple of them shouted “Mexico, Mexico!” Someone had a portable speaker; there was a bit of a singalong. Police officers sat on car bonnets, looking bored.
Gradually, the crowd grew. There was a group of teenagers who gave the impression of being inebriated. A couple of men offered round shots of mezcal. Someone turned up with a loudspeaker. A television journalist was thrown into the air. He seemed to be relatively happy about it.
At one point, a motorbike made it in between the two police lines. Its owner revved the engine, to general amusement. He also filmed himself. He wasn’t the only one. It felt like a lot of people were there for the fun of being there rather than to actually keep anyone awake. “This is part of our folklore,” a woman said to her tired-looking son.
Cesar Roldan, a local resident, said he had come down to the street out of curiosity. “I wanted to see how many people would be out here,” he said. “I see this as a positive thing, but it won’t affect the game tomorrow. The England players won’t even hear us here.”
Oscar, 32, declined to give his surname but said he viewed the evening as a way to participate in Mexico’s World Cup story. “It’s a national party at the moment,” he said.
Others were not quite so impressed. “It’s unfortunate that this is part of our culture,” said Rafael, 30, whose route home was blocked by the police blockade. “It shouldn’t be like this. Football takes place on the pitch. This is over the top.”
At 11.45pm, it became clear that the police agreed. A line of officers with riot shields began to usher revellers from the inner ring towards the outer. There was a little pushing and shoving, but most people went with it. By the time the police were done, the hotel was no longer even visible. The crowd dispersed in ones and twos, to cars and bus stops.
There was, later, a second wave: a group of fans played music on a footbridge, complete with a band and drums, while others let off fireworks. This looked good in the clips posted on social media. It was also a good distance from England’s hotel.
Police were present and eventually moved the serenaders on. Rogers and his team-mates were likely undisturbed.
💥🇬🇧 || ¡Sí hubo serenata! Aficionados mexicanos llevaron música y pirotecnia al hotel Marriott de Santa Fe, donde se hospeda la selección de Inglaterra. La policía intervino para replegar a la multitud y evitar disturbios, provocando empujones. 🎤🎆 pic.twitter.com/rLZjswpcei
— Cinco Radio Oficial (@laredcincoradio) July 5, 2026
Irving, 45, was not surprised that the serenade did not hit the heights of that given to Ecuador. “That was more a historic thing: they did it to Mexico in 1993 (at the Copa America),” he said. “With England, there’s no real reason.”
He did, though, offer up one idea Mexico could still pursue before kick-off at the Azteca. “We just need to tie Harry Kane’s laces together,” he laughed.
It surely won’t be a lack of sleep, though, that will trip England up this evening.
