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Will Mexico’s NFL fans boo Star Spangled Banner?

NFL Monday Night Football moves south of the border on November 21 for the first time in 11 years.

Around 75,000 fans will fill the Aztec Stadium in Mexico City as the Oakland Raiders face the Houston Texans.

Such is the passion for the sport in the capital that tickets for the game sold out within a few days of going on sale in July.

pg3Organizers expect the fans to create a frenzied atmosphere but are fearful about one small matter.

In the wake of Donald Trump’s surprise election victory, how will they greet the playing of the U.S. national anthem?

Some fans with tickets for the game this week told reporters that they intend to roundly boo the anthem to show their displeasure at Trump’s vigorous anti-Mexico stance during the campaign.

Mexican soccer fans routinely jeer the Star Spangled Banner before games with their northern neighbor. Monday night’s game, however, is different since both the teams in action will be from the United States and the vast majority of the players are American.

Some observers have suggested the grid-iron fans will behave better than their soccer counterparts, as they are generally better educated.

The NFL’s decision to return to Mexico comes amid growing popularity for American football south of the border, where the fan base is estimated at around 26 million.  The success in hosting regular season games in London, England in recent years has convinced league chiefs of the merits of broadening the game’s global reach.

Monday’s game throws together two in form teams. The (6-3) Texans lead the AFC South and look evenly matched against the (7-2) Raiders, who are tied for first in the AFC West with Kansas City. The game begins at 7:30 p.m.

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