England kick-off chaos: What really happened and how storms could delay the game

The first the English FA knew about a possible six-hour shift to the kick-off time for Mexico vs England in the World Cup last 16 was when Mexican journalists started asking Morgan Rogers and Marcus Rashford how they felt about it, I'm told.

That was at 1pm, on the side of England's training pitch in Kansas City on Friday, 7pm UK time.

Frantic phone calls and meetings followed, and what became clear was that the idea of moving the kick-off time forward so drastically was mooted by the local organising committee in Mexico City.

Four people died in the aftermath of the round-of-32 match against Ecuador there on Tuesday and so it was inevitable there would be a full review of safety.

Like in England, the local organising committee in Mexico City involves local council, police and other emergency services. They estimate that there were over one million people in an area of around one square mile, close to the famous Angel of Independence monument in the centre of the city.

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It is important to point out here that there were never any security concerns, and there is a crucial difference between safety and security. Security concerns surround threats of violence or attack. Safety concerns surround the operation to get teams, officials and, crucially, supporters in and out of the fixture without the risk of injury. Remember, there will be 85,000 people inside the Azteca Stadium for this game.

From the start, both the English and Mexican FAs were reluctant to move the kick-off time by six hours. Conspiracy theories suggesting the Mexican FA was deliberately trying to influence a change, to make things harder for the England team, were fantastical.

Of course, both FAs are obligated to adhere to whatever safety guidance is on offer. And so the meetings started. For several hours, there was a dearth of information coming from official sources, and so there was limbo - with rumour and unsubstantiated reports aplenty, mostly coming out of Mexico.

Ultimately, it would always be FIFA's decision about whether there would be any changes to the kick-off time, and that decision would be made by the FIFA hierarchy based at the International Broadcast Centre in Dallas.

The meetings continued as specialist weather reports were studied - and, importantly, those reports shifted slightly.

These are not the sort of weather reports we see in the UK. They are very detailed and very reliable, with huge resources in Mexico and the US pumped into sophisticated storm monitoring systems. Throughout our time in the US, and now Mexico, we have seen the authorities give specific warnings, predicting accurately where and when storms will hit within five-minute windows.

When the original concerns were raised, those reports suggested there was a very high risk for dangerous lightning for about three hours before the game, during the match itself, and for between one and two hours after the final whistle.

It was the storm warnings for after the game that caused the most concern - how do you safely get 85,000 people away from the Azteca Stadium, all at the same time, with lightning in the air and flooded roads and transport systems? The potential for crushing was significant, just days after four people had died from asphyxiation in such circumstances.

But then came the shift in the weather reports: the storm looked like it was going to hit the Azteca Stadium slightly earlier. In fact, the latest detailed analysis in Mexico City suggests there is a real risk of damaging storms in the four hours running up to kick-off, but none during the game itself, and none after the final whistle.

As a result, FIFA and the local officials were satisfied that there was no need for the game to be brought forward six hours. In fact, had they done so, they may have made the situation worse, with the storm seemingly moving earlier.

However, meetings will continue in Mexico City, and specifically at the Azteca Stadium, right up until kick-off on Sunday. And, the weather reports would suggest there remains a strong likelihood of lightning between 2pm and 6pm local time (9pm and 1am UK time). As such, there remains a strong likelihood of disruption to the game itself.

FIFA safety protocols dictate that, if there is lightning within a six-mile radius, supporters and teams will be prevented from entering the stadium. The game will not be allowed to start - or restart - until there is a 30-minute lightning-free window.

And so, while it now seems very unlikely there will be a substantive, early decision taken to move the kick-off time, it is still very possible - even likely - that the kick-off could be delayed on Sunday night/Monday morning. But we are unlikely to know about that until much closer to the scheduled start.

That, of course, could have a huge impact on pubs and supporters in the UK, who have made plans to watch the game in the early hours of Monday morning.