By Cassandra Garrison
MEXICO CITY, July 4 (Reuters) – On Sunday afternoon, as England and Mexico meet in a World Cup showdown at the Azteca Stadium, the fault line between two football cultures will run straight through a British pub in the heart of Mexico City.
At The Duke of Lisbon in the Juarez neighbourhood, Mexican cooks turn out fish and chips that homesick Brits insist are better than some versions back home. Behind the bar, the venue’s British-Mexican management team is keeping things amicable.
By kick-off time, the pub, which has a long wooden bar and copies of the Encyclopaedia Britannica on the walls, will be awash in green shirts and white shirts, with staff weaving between fans of both sides with pints of bitter and plates of chicken tikka masala or bangers and mash.
“One side will leave happier than the other,” Mexican co-manager Luis Pena says. “But we hope we all have a good time.”
Soccer in Mexico dates back to the arrival of British miners in the 19th century, who planted the seeds of what has become a national obsession.
For England, the Azteca carries shadows of bygone hurt.
The last time the national team played a World Cup match there in 1986, Argentina’s Diego Maradona delivered both the notorious “Hand of God” goal, and then one of the greatest goals ever seen, cementing the stadium’s place in sporting folklore.
While staff at the Duke initially worried about the prospect of English and Mexican fans packed together for such a high-stakes game, English co-manager Alex Mahoney said years of friendships between the pub’s British and Mexican clientele have convinced him the atmosphere will remain good-natured.
“I love that Mexicans value British culture, they come here all the time … and we’re here for a reason, we love Mexico,” Mahoney said. “There’s mutual respect which hopefully will still be in place on Sunday.”
Duke of Lisbon regular Thomas Scott has no divided loyalties even after living in Mexico for 18 years.
“I love Mexico, but when it comes to football this weekend, it’s all about England,” he said. “You pick a tribe early on and you stick with it no matter the highs and the lows.”
SPLIT FAMILIES
Across Mexico City, binational families are walking a tightrope between rivalry and domestic peace.
Matt Tyler, a 42-year-old Englishman, and his Mexican wife Iris Hernandez, 46, have spent the week batting jokes back and forth while their sons, Vincent, 13, and Paolo, 11, navigate the tricky waters. The boys are still weighing their loyalties.
“We are Switzerland until Sunday,” Hernandez said.
But Tyler has not exactly remained neutral.
“I’d like to think they’d go for the better team, which we all know is England,” he joked, drawing protests from his wife.
Like many Brits in Mexico, he has spent the week fielding playful taunts from Mexican friends eager to remind him what awaits if England lose.
His barber offered him a free haircut if England win, but promised to charge double if Mexico prevail.
On Sunday, the family will take their household tug-of-war to The Duke of Lisbon.
And if England go out? Tyler has a plan for the rest of the tournament: “Get rid of the English beer and pick up a Victoria (Mexican beer) and a tequila.”
(Reporting by Cassandra Garrison in Mexico City; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
