FIFA boss 'very reassured' about World Cup in Mexico despite violence
FIFA president Gianni Infantino stated to AFP on Tuesday that he felt "very reassured" regarding Mexico's role in hosting matches for the football World Cup, marking his initial remarks on the unrest sparked by the death of a drug cartel chief.
"Very reassured, everything is fine. It will be spectacular," Infantino remarked in the Colombian city of Barranquilla, just two days following the rampage by cartel affiliates, which included actions in host city Guadalajara, after the military eliminated their leader Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera.
Mexico joins the United States and Canada as one of the three nations hosting the event from June 11 to July 19.
The nation experienced widespread disruption, especially in Guadalajara, due to the turmoil after the demise of the head of the potent Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known as CJNG.
At least 74 individuals lost their lives during the effort to apprehend him at a property near Guadalajara, along with ensuing confrontations between authorities and presumed cartel operatives.
Only one civilian death was reported by officials, yet locals and visitors alike sought shelter as cartel shooters obstructed routes across 20 of Mexico's 32 states and set fire to cars and establishments.
'No risk' to football fans
"It seems like a battlefield," shared Javier Perez, a 41 year old engineer, with AFP on Tuesday from a supermarket car park filled with charred vehicles in the Jalisco holiday spot of Puerto Vallarta.
Scenes of disorder and aggression circulated globally less than four months prior to the World Cup kick off, as FIFA declined to respond on Monday.
Infantino addressed AFP during an occasion organised by the Colombian Football Federation.
Previously, Mexican leader Claudia Sheinbaum declared there was "no risk" for World Cup attendees and noted that conditions were "slowly stabilising."
Guadalajara, the main city of Jalisco region, is set to stage four group phase fixtures.
Matches will also occur in Mexico City and the north eastern hub of Monterrey, both of which avoided the latest disturbances.
Besides the four encounters, featuring a highly expected initial round clash between Uruguay and Spain, Guadalajara will jointly manage with Monterrey the qualification playoffs to secure the final two World Cup spots by late March.
Jalisco's Governor Pablo Lemus dismissed any chance of Guadalajara's removal from the event due to safety issues, asserting there was "absolutely no risk" of altering the schedule.
Attention turns to the central region of Queretaro on Wednesday for Mexico's friendly against Iceland.
A top tier league match was halted on Sunday in Queretaro because of the unrest.
Car manufacturing affected
Oseguera ranked among the top fugitives sought by authorities in the United States and Mexico, with a 15 million dollar reward from the US.
As a key founder of CJNG, established in 2009, the group expanded to become one of Mexico's largest and most ruthless drug syndicates, surpassing the Sinaloa outfit led by imprisoned figure Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
Mexico verified his arrest involved "supporting details" from American officials, though it maintains that no US personnel participated in the operation.
With repercussions from the violence still echoing across the country, Japanese automaker Honda revealed a halt to operations at its Guadalajara assembly facility.
"As a safety step, our activities at our Guadalajara sites were paused temporarily on Monday, February 23," explained Daniela Sanchez, a representative for the vehicle producer, to AFP, adding that the company was now "evaluating the (security) conditions."
Mexico serves as a key centre for vehicle production, where giants like Ford, General Motors, BMW, and Audi build cars for North American and European consumers.