Downing Street has sought to clarify Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's role in discussions over the kick-off time of England's World Cup match against Mexico, amid a row over potential political interference in FIFA by American president Donald Trump.
Starmer is understood to have intervened to prevent FIFA bringing forward the kick-off time from 6 p.m. local to 12 p.m. local on Sunday, a move which would have cut short England's preparations for the last-16 match at high altitude in Mexico City.
The news on Starmer's intervention came on the day FIFA faced accusations of bowing to political pressure from President Trump in relation to a red card issued to United States striker Folarin Balogun, but the PM's official spokesman was keen to draw differentiation between the two instances.
"The Prime Minister was clear that he was supportive of representations made by the Football Association regarding the practical implications of a proposed scheduling change for the team's preparations," the spokesman said.
"The final decision on fixture timings remained a matter for FIFA.
"But as we've consistently said, decisions on disciplinary matters and the application of rules of the game are for FIFA and for the relevant football authorities."
Asked what exactly the Government did -- did they talk to the Mexican government or FIFA -- the spokesman said: "I'm not going to go into the internal processes behind it, but the Prime Minister has said that he was supportive of the representations made by the FA, and I think that's on record that the FA have made representations about the scheduling change and the impact it would have potentially on the England team.
"But as I say, the final decision on that, the fixture timings remained a matter for FIFA."
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The match ultimately kicked off an hour later than originally scheduled due to thunderstorms in the local area, but England held their nerve to win 3-2 and advance to the quarterfinals.
FIFA has been approached for comment.