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A British minister has dismissed England manager Thomas Tuchel’s appeal to parents to “write an excuse” for their children to miss school so they can watch England’s early-morning World Cup clash against Mexico on Monday.

England’s victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday set up a meeting with co-hosts Mexico in Mexico City, with the match scheduled to kick off at 1am BST.

In previous tournaments, schools and workplaces have often made exceptions to allow people to watch England’s key matches during working hours. However, Monday’s early-morning start has presented a new challenge.

Soon after the game, Tuchel said: “Write an excuse for school and let them watch football. There’s so much school to go to, but the World Cup comes only once every four years. Let them watch.”

He added: “There will be a big, big match in four days, and we need everyone’s support—especially from the children.”

Some schools have already responded to the situation. Castle Hill Primary School in Basingstoke announced that parents may bring their children in at 9.30am, an hour later than the usual 8.35am start. “We have put this in place so that families can enjoy the World Cup while ensuring children get enough sleep to enjoy their learning too,” the school posted on its noticeboard.

However, Skills Minister Baroness Jacqui Smith disagreed with Tuchel’s suggestion, noting that missing school could affect children’s learning.

Speaking on LBC’s Breakfast with Nick Ferrari on Thursday, she said: “I don’t want to be a killjoy, but the real killjoy is when young people don’t have the learning they need to succeed in life. I completely understand if people, including young ones, want to watch the match—I will be too.”

She added with a laugh: “I’ll take a disco nap in the afternoon and celebrate our win the next morning at work, hopefully looking as fresh as a daisy.”

Downing Street backed Smith’s comments later that day. A spokesperson said children “should be in school on Monday,” adding: “Parents can make their own decisions, and I think the Skills Minister put it well when she said she’d be having a disco nap. We want everyone to enjoy the game, but children should be in school on Monday.”

Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union, suggested a more flexible approach: “It would be very good if the Secretary of State recognised this as an important moment in our calendar and allowed a flexible start on Monday morning. These events matter, and it would be great if as many young people as possible could enjoy them.”

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “School leaders are best placed to decide how to handle the timing of the England vs Mexico game, given that many enthusiastic young supporters will want to stay up. We hope the Department for Education allows flexibility and doesn’t score an own goal by insisting on business as usual.”

For employers, Downing Street said any decision to allow staff to work from home on Monday would be at their discretion.

HR advisory body Acas also encouraged flexibility. Senior advisor Louise Rudd said: “Employers may want to be a bit more accommodating—allowing staff to start later on Monday or work from home if possible. Some staff may not be interested in football and could offer to swap shifts with those who are. The key is to ensure flexibility is applied fairly and consistently, with any changes to hours agreed in advance.”