Mexican league games delayed following the death of cartel leader
MEXICO CITY — Four significant soccer matches were postponed on Sunday following the death of a prominent drug cartel leader, who was killed by the Mexican army in a town near Guadalajara, the host city for the World Cup.
Two matches in the top division — Queretaro vs. Juarez FC in the men’s league and Chivas vs. America in the women’s league — were postponed, along with two matches in the second division.
The Mexican national team is set to play a friendly against Iceland on Wednesday at the Corregidora stadium in Queretaro. The Mexican soccer federation has not publicly indicated any plans to postpone this match.
Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” who was the leader of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación, sustained injuries in Tapalpa, Jalisco, approximately a two-hour drive southwest of Guadalajara, and succumbed to his injuries while being transported to Mexico City.
In the aftermath of his death, cartel affiliates set vehicles ablaze and obstructed roads across nearly a dozen states in Mexico.
Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco, is set to host four matches during the World Cup in June, including two featuring South Korea. Co-host Mexico, along with Spain, Uruguay, and Colombia, will also compete there.
The CJNG cartel is recognized as the most powerful in Mexico, with an estimated membership of 19,000 and operations in 21 of the country’s 32 states. It has been classified as a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration.
The Mexican Open, an ATP tennis event, is scheduled to commence on Monday at the GNP Arena in Acapulco, Guerrero. Organizers released a statement on Sunday affirming that “the tournament’s operation continues as normal.”
