MEXICO CITY (AP) 鈥� Despite police blockades, dozens of Mexican fans gathered outside the national team鈥檚 hotel until the early hours of Sunday morning, hoping to disrupt players鈥� sleep ahead of their 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, 鈥淓l Tri鈥� supporters deployed the before a crucial match against Ecuador 鈥� Mexico won 2鈥�0 鈥� prompting the Ecuadorian football federation to file a formal complaint with organizers.
England manager Thomas Tuchel anticipated the disruption but downplayed its potential impact.
鈥淲e have a 6 p.m. (Sunday) kickoff, so if we miss some hours of sleep, we鈥檒l make them up in the late morning,鈥� Tuchel said on Saturday.
These late-night hotel 鈥渟erenades鈥� 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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