MEXICO CITY — Four significant soccer matches were postponed on Sunday following the Mexican army’s operation that resulted in the death of a prominent drug cartel leader in a town near Guadalajara, the host city for the World Cup.
Two key matchups — Queretaro vs. Juarez FC in the men’s league and Chivas vs. America in the women’s league — were delayed, 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 yet to announce any decision to postpone this event.
Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho and the head of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación, was injured in Tapalpa, Jalisco, located about two hours southwest of Guadalajara, and succumbed to his injuries while en route to Mexico City.
In the wake of his death, cartel members set vehicles ablaze and obstructed roads across nearly a dozen Mexican states.
Guadalajara is slated to host four World Cup games in June, including two featuring South Korea, along with matches involving co-host Mexico, Spain, Uruguay, and Colombia.
The CJNG cartel is regarded as the most powerful in Mexico, boasting an estimated 19,000 members and operations throughout 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 set to commence on Monday at the GNP Arena in Acapulco, Guerrero. Organizers released a statement on Sunday indicating that “the tournament’s operation continues as normal.”
