07/05/26 09:35:00
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07/05 09:34 CDT World Cup serenade: Mexican fans blast horns outside hotel to
disrupt England players' sleep
World Cup serenade: Mexican fans blast horns outside hotel to disrupt England
players' sleep
By CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
AP Sports Writer
MEXICO CITY (AP) --- Despite police blockades, dozens of Mexican fans gathered
outside the England national team's hotel until the early hours of Sunday
morning, hoping to disrupt players' sleep ahead of their World Cup round-of-16
match against co-host Mexico.
Armed with loudspeakers, horns and fireworks, the crowd gathered outside the JW
Marriott hotel in Santa Fe, in the western part of Mexico City and did its best
to disturb the guests.
Earlier in the week, "El Tri" supporters deployed the same tactics before a
crucial match against Ecuador --- Mexico won 2--0 --- prompting the Ecuadorian
football federation to file a formal complaint with organizers.
England manager Thomas Tuchel anticipated the disruption but downplayed its
potential impact.
"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 on Saturday.
These late-night hotel "serenades" are an entrenched and polarizing tradition
in Latin American football. While they began as a passionate display of support
for the home team, they have increasingly evolved into a psychological weapon
designed to deprive opponents of sleep.
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