During his lunch break, Jorge Herreira expressed his indignation: “It would be the last straw if they canceled the [World] Cup on us now.” The 52-year-old works on the construction site for Guadalajara’s future “metro bus,” a transit line connecting the airport to the city center, slated to open before the World Cup kickoff on June 11, 2026. Among the workers, the midday conversation on Wednesday, February 25 revolved around the violence the city experienced after the death of Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the previous Sunday.
Cars and businesses were set on fire in the state of Jalisco, a destination popular with Canadian and American tourists. The violence made global headlines and cast a highly unfavorable image of Mexico’s second-largest city, which serves as the base of operations for the drug cartel. “If we ourselves are afraid, imagine the tourists! No one is going to come,” a young mason worried aloud.
The workers had heard President Claudia Sheinbaum speak that very morning during her daily press conference. Asked about the consequences of the violence for the tournament, the head of state said there was “absolutely no security problem” and that “the World Cup will take place as planned.” “Our president wants to reassure us, but it’s hard to believe. We’re all expecting more cartel violence that won’t go unnoticed. After all this work, what a waste,” lamented Jorge Herreira.
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