BARRANQUILLA: FIFA boss Gianni Infantino told AFP on Tuesday he was “very reassured” about Mexico’s hosting of games in the football World Cup, in his first comments on the violence triggered by the killing of a drug cartel leader.
“Very reassured, everything’s good. It’s going to be spectacular,” Infantino said in the Colombian city of Barranquilla, two days after cartel members went on a rampage — including in host city Guadalajara — over the army’s killing of their leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera.
Mexico is one of the three host countries for the June 11-July 19 World Cup, along with the United States and Canada.
The country as a whole, but particularly Guadalajara, was shaken by the violence that followed the killing of the leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
At least 74 people were killed during the operation to capture him at a ranch near Guadalajara and subsequent clashes between the security forces and suspected cartel members.
Only one was a civilian, according to the government, but residents and tourists alike were left scurrying for cover as cartel gunmen blocked roads in 20 of Mexico’s 32 states and torched vehicles and businesses.
- ‘No risk’ to football fans -
“It feels like we’re in a war zone,” Javier Perez, a 41-year-old engineer, told AFP on Tuesday in the parking lot of a grocery store replete with burnt-out cars in the Jalisco tourist resort of Puerto Vallarta.
The images of anarchy and violence were beamed around the world less than four months before the start of the World Cup, while FIFA on Monday refused to comment.
Infantino spoke to AFP at a Colombian Football Federation event.
However, Infantino’s optimism was not reflected by the Portuguese Football Federation, who cast doubt on whether their team would play a friendly on March 29 in Mexico City.
The federation said it was “closely monitoring the delicate situation currently unfolding in Mexico.”
It added that the safety of players, coaches and supporters was a top priority and security considerations would be the deciding factor.
Mexico national team coach Javier Aguirre was more upbeat, declaring: “All is going ahead as planned.”
Earlier, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum assured that there was “no risk” to World Cup fans and said the situation was “gradually returning to normal.”
Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state, will host four group-stage matches.
Mexico City and the northeastern city of Monterrey will also host games. Both cities were spared by the recent unrest.
In addition to the four matches, including one of the most anticipated of the first round between Uruguay and Spain, Guadalajara will co-host with Monterrey the playoff tournament that will determine the last two teams to qualify for the World Cup at the end of March.
Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus ruled out the prospect of Guadalajara being dropped from the tournament over security concerns, saying there was “absolutely no risk” of a change in the line-up.
All eyes will be on the central state of Queretaro on Wednesday, when Mexico meets Iceland for a friendly.
A first-division game was suspended on Sunday in Queretaro over the violence.
- Car manufacturing affected -
Oseguera was one of the most-wanted men in the United States and Mexico. He had a $15 million US bounty on his head.
Oseguera was a founding member of CJNG, which was formed in 2009 and grew into one of the biggest, most violent drug cartels in Mexico, overtaking the Sinaloa cartel of jailed kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
Mexico confirmed that he was captured with the help of “complementary information” from US authorities, but insists no US forces took part in the raid.
As the fallout from the violence continued to reverberate nationwide, Japanese car manufacturer Honda announced that it had suspended activities at its assembly plant in Guadalajara.
“As a precautionary measure, our operations in our installations in Guadalajara were temporarily suspended on Monday, February 23,” Daniela Sanchez, a spokesperson for the car factory, told AFP, explaining that the automotive giant was currently “assessing the (security) situation.”
Mexico is a major automotive hub with several major manufacturers, including Ford, General Motors, BMW, and Audi, assembling vehicles in the country for the North American and European markets.