Dozens of Mexican football fans gather outside the England national team’s hotel in Mexico City and use loudspeakers, horns and fireworks to disrupt players’ sleep ahead of their World Cup round-of-16 match against co-host Mexico. Reports say the crowd continues into the early hours of Sunday morning despite police blockades intended to keep supporters away from the hotel area.
The incident takes place at or near the JW Marriott hotel in Santa Fe, a western district of Mexico City. Supporters reportedly try to make noise directed at England guests and do so for an extended period rather than a brief pre-match display.
Multiple accounts also link the behavior to earlier matches. They report that similar tactics are used by Mexico supporters before England’s opponents play Ecuador, after which Mexico beats Ecuador 2–0. In that earlier case, organizers receive a formal complaint from the Ecuadorian football federation related to the disruption tactics. Overall, sources describe the England-hotel incident as an attempt by fans to affect the opposing team’s rest before a key knockout fixture.
