After El Mencho's Death Sparked Violence, Some Worry About World Cup Matches In Mexico

Gerardo Tavárez has been counting down nan days for months.

The 25-year-old Los Angeles resident planned nan cleanable summertime for his family.

He will get joined connected June 6, 5 days earlier nan commencement of nan World Cup. His honeymoon will beryllium successful Mexico, wherever he will watch nan Mexican nationalist team’s debut astatine Azteca Stadium successful Mexico City and a 2nd lucifer betwixt Mexico and South Korea successful Guadalajara, alongside his father, brother, early woman and young son.

The scheme seemed group successful stone. Until this week.

Vehicles thrust past a charred autobus successful Guadalajara connected Monday, nan time Mexican service killed Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known arsenic “El Mencho.”

(Marco Ugarte / Associated Press)

After nan Mexican service killed Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, nan leader of nan Jalisco New Generation Cartel known arsenic “El Mencho,” unit erupted successful nan authorities of Jalisco connected Sunday, including roadblocks and conveyance fires. Images of fume rising complete Guadalajara quickly circulated connected societal media, sowing doubts among immoderate readying to recreation to Mexico for nan World Cup.

According to Mexican authorities, much than 60 people, including 25 soldiers, died during nan cognition to seizure nan criminal leader.

“I’m much than worried. I’m nervous. I’m scared,” said Tavárez, calved successful Los Angeles to parents from Jalisco and a diehard instrumentality of nan Mexican nationalist team.

Tavárez has already invested astir $10,000 per personification successful tickets and related expenses. Even so, he admits that he has considered canceling nan trip.

Gerardo Tavárez, pinch his fiancée, during a crippled astatine nan Chivas stadium. They scheme to get joined a fewer days earlier nan World Cup and observe successful Mexico during nan tournament.

(Foto Gerardo Tavárez)

“I’ve discussed it pinch my family. It’s a possibility. ... I’d for illustration everything to return to normal,” Tavárez said. “I’ve been to Guadalajara galore times, but now I person a fiancée and a son. I’m responsible for them. I person to deliberation astir it.”

One of his aunts who is from Tepatitlán and a U.S. national tried to return to California connected Sunday, but nan conveyance she was walking successful was blocked connected its measurement to nan airport. She was incapable to alert and remains successful Jalisco.

Guadalajara will big 4 matches of nan 2026 World Cup, including nan Mexican team’s 2nd crippled successful nan tourney and 1 of nan astir anticipated matches of nan group shape — Spain versus Uruguay. The authorities of Jalisco expects to person much than 3 cardinal visitors during nan tournament, thousands of them from Southern California.

But past Sunday, nan metropolis knowledgeable hours of tension. Mass events were canceled. The lucifer betwixt Chivas and América Femenil astatine Akron Stadium was suspended. In-person classes person been temporarily suspended until Wednesday.

For galore fans successful nan United States, nan images raised an inevitable question: Is Mexico fresh to guarantee information during nan biggest sporting arena connected nan planet?

Since Monday morning, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has tried to allay fears during her greeting property conferences, assuring that calm has returned to nan affected areas and accusing immoderate societal media accounts of amplifying mendacious information.

“They person each guarantee. There is nary risk,” Sheinbaum said astir world visitors during nan World Cup connected Tuesday morning.

Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro said he is moving successful coordination pinch national and municipal forces to reconstruct normality to a authorities considered 1 of nan main regions wherever supplier trafficking operates successful Mexico and wherever galore residents opportunity they are “accustomed” to violence.

Meanwhile, successful Washington, White House property caput Karoline Leavitt said successful an question and reply pinch Fox News that nary U.S. citizens person been reported straight affected by nan unit successful Mexico and reiterated nan proposal to travel State Department guidelines.

“We person not been notified of immoderate reports of Americans being injured, kidnapped, aliases killed... and Mexican supplier cartels cognize that they must not touch a azygous hairsbreadth connected immoderate American aliases they will suffer superior consequences nether this president,” Leavitt said.

A charred conveyance sits wrong a damaged supermarket successful Guadalajara connected Sunday aft nan Mexican service killed cartel leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known arsenic “El Mencho.”

(Alejandra Leyva / Associated Press)

Manny Fernandez, a 21-year seasoned of nan U.S. Secret Service and existent vice president of world operations astatine FocusPoint International, said awesome world events typically person robust information arrangements successful place.

“If [the cartels] could disrupt thing for illustration nan World Cup pinch FIFA, they would beryllium getting much progressive pinch different entities, specified arsenic nan U.S. authorities and nan like, which would really inhibit their cognition and they mightiness not get immoderate use from it,” said Fernández, who specializes successful providing information successful situation situations to Americans and businesses abroad.

“We don’t person a crystal shot that tells america erstwhile [a violent] arena is going to happen,” said Fernández, who recommended that World Cup visitors debar walking alone, enactment retired of areas considered precocious risk, and registry pinch nan State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to person charismatic alerts.

He besides warned astir misinformation.

“In situations for illustration this, societal media tin amplify nan chaos,” Fernández said.

The Mexican consul successful Los Angeles, Carlos González Gutiérrez, agreed. He said immoderate videos and images that were circulating connected Sunday did not correspond to verified events.

“We saw group moving and personification claiming that they were shooting astatine nan wide public, nary of which happened,” González Gutiérrez said.

“It is basal to mention to charismatic sources,” he added, noting that airports successful Mexico are now operating usually and that astir of nan authorities of Jalisco remains unfastened and functional.

According to nan consul, Mexico is presently nan sixth astir visited state successful nan world and nan immense mostly of visitors who sojourn nan state person nary awesome complaints. He besides maintained that unit linked to organized crime tends to beryllium concentrated extracurricular nan main tourer corridors. The consul said visitors pinch questions tin telephone nan Mexican Assistance Information Center (CIAM), which operates 24 hours a day.

FIFA and fans won’t person to hold until nan World Cup to find retired whether Mexico is fresh to big world events pursuing Sunday’s violence. On Saturday successful Mexico City, 335 miles from wherever “El Mencho” was killed, UFC will clasp 1 of its astir important world arena and Dana White, president of nan mixed martial arts institution and state of President Donald Trump, is not delaying nan fights.

Next month, Guadalajara and Monterrey will big intercontinental playoff matches for immoderate of nan last spots successful nan World Cup field. On March 26, New Caledonia will look Jamaica astatine nan Guadalajara Stadium. The victor of that crippled will play nan Republic of Congo for a spot successful nan World Cup field.

Meanwhile, immoderate Los Angeles fans remained excited arsenic they recreation this week to watch Mexico’s friends lucifer against Iceland successful Querétaro.

“You person to enactment positive. Think astir really you’re going to make tons of friends,” said Juan Diego, a instrumentality from Culver City who has been to 8 World Cups and traveled this week to spot El Tri play connected Wednesday astatine La Corregidora, 240 miles from Guadalajara.

Erick Vales, an Orange resident and regular follower of nan Mexican nationalist squad successful nan United States, including nan past 3 World Cups, said nan guidance has been disproportionate to nan level of consequence for fans.

“Here successful nan United States, personification was killed. They changeable him successful nan head, and nan World Cup isn’t being canceled,” Vales said.

But he acknowledges that world cognition could power non-Mexican travelers who are little acquainted pinch life successful Mexico.

Tavárez is still deciding whether he feels comfortable bringing his family to World Cup matches arsenic planned. He ever imagined his first World Cup arsenic a historical infinitesimal shared pinch his father, his early woman and son. He besides planned to observe nan wedding pinch a sojourn to his family’s colony successful Jalisco. For now, that excitement is clouded pinch uncertainty.

This article first appeared successful Spanish via L.A. Times en Español.