Tuchel asks children to skip school to see England; government counters

England's place in the round of 16 of the World Cup opened an unusual debate in the United Kingdom. Coach Thomas Tuchel asked parents to let their children miss a day of school to follow the team against Mexico. The suggestion, however, met with resistance from the British government, which recommended that students be present in schools as normal.

The duel will be played next Sunday, at the Azteca stadium, in Mexico City. For the English, the ball drops at 1am on Monday. If the match goes into extra time and penalties, the final whistle may only happen around 4am, a time that has made the discussion inevitable in the country.

After qualifying for the knockout stages, Tuchel made a direct appeal to parents and argued that the moment the team is experiencing justifies an exception in the school routine.

"Write a justification for the school and let the children watch football. They still have many days of school ahead of them, but the World Cup only happens every four years. Let them watch it," he said.

The coach also highlighted that the support of younger fans can make a difference in England's progress.

"In four days we will have a huge match and we will need everyone's support, especially the children," he added.

The statement gained national repercussion and provoked an almost immediate response from the government. Prime Minister Keir Starmer disagreed with the proposal and reaffirmed that the priority should be school attendance.

According to a spokesperson for the Prime Minister, although the final decision belongs to parents, the government's guidance is that students attend classes normally on Monday.

"We want everyone to enjoy the game, but children must be at school on Monday," the government representative told The Guardian.

The Minister of Education, Jacqui Smith, also ruled out the possibility of making students' routines more flexible. Instead, he suggested that fans adapt their rest hours to be able to watch the match without compromising the following day's commitments.

The recommendation was to take a nap during the afternoon or early evening before the confrontation. The proposal directly contrasts with Tuchel's request and turned the game time into a topic of national debate on the eve of the World Cup round of 16.

Without Germany, Brazil remains at the top of the list of World Cup champions

Source: CNN