Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said his federation promised everyone will be safe at a friendly against Iceland in Queretaro this Wednesday amid recent security concerns across the country that emerged after the killing of a powerful cartel leader.
“We’re sensitive to the current situation,” Aguirre said before the match at the Estadio Corregidora. “The people at the FMF [Mexico Football Federation] have assured me that everyone will be safe.”
On Sunday, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, nicknamed “El Mencho” and the leader of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación, was killed, causing backlash in the country that led to the postponement of Queretaro and Juarez FC, and Chivas vs. America in Liga MX Femenil.
Following the death of the leader, cartel members blocked roads and burned vehicles in nearly a dozen states across Mexico. Despite growing doubts about Wednesday’s friendly between Mexico and Iceland, sources told ESPN on Monday that the game would still go as planned.
“We’re here. We’re very calm, relaxed, training, we talk about sports,” said Aguirre. “That’s the message I can send to the fans as a football coach.”
Tickets for Wednesday’s game are sold out and there’s a crowd of 30,000-plus that will be expected inside the stadium. Aguirre also hopes to face Portugal soon in an upcoming Mexico City friendly on March 28, although their federation posted Tuesday that they are currently evaluating the situation.
The Portuguese federation said it was “closely monitoring the delicate situation currently unfolding in Mexico.”
Ahead of the World Cup that will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada this summer, sources told ESPN Mexico that FIFA has requested reports from the Latin American country on their security situation.
On Tuesday, FIFA president Gianni Infantino reaffirmed his total confidence in Mexico’s preparations for the 2026 World Cup, asserting that local authorities are fully prepared to maintain order and security for the tournament.
“We are analyzing and monitoring the situation in Mexico during these days, but I want to say from the start that we have total confidence in Mexico, in its president, [Claudia] Sheinbaum, and in the authorities. We are convinced that everything will proceed in the best way possible,” Infantino said, speaking from Barranquilla, Colombia, during the inauguration of the Colombian Football Federation’s hotel.
“Mexico is a great soccer country. Just like in every country in the world, things happen; we don’t live on the moon or another planet. Things happen, and that is why we have governments, police, and authorities who are going to ensure order and security,” he added.
