Mexico awoke to the news that Ovidio Guzman, son of Sinaloa Cartel founder Joaquin “Chapo” Guzman had been arrested by authorities in his hometown of Culiacán in Sinaloa. The arrest sparked a wave of civil unrest allegedly headed by members of the crime organization in different parts of Mexico. In other Mexican towns where thankfully violence is not present there’s an increased number of police officers patrolling the streets with checkpoints set up in key points in these cities.
Liga MX and the Expansion MX division have announced the suspension of at least two of their games so far. With the potential for games to be scrapped if the situation escalates in different cities throughout Mexico.
Leon Versus Mazatlan Was Suspended In Liga MX
In Liga MX the only game that has been suspended so far is the matchup between Leon and Mazatlan. This matchup was set to take place in the coastal city as part of the first week in Liga MX. Mazatlan however is located in the state of Sinaloa which so far has been the epicenter of the violence. Basically as soon as the news broke that violent incidents were taking place throughout the state Liga MX decided to postpone the matchup. At this point there’s been no word on when the matchup will be rescheduled.
The next games for Mazatlan may also be in question moving forward. There’s naturally no time table for when these violent acts are going to stop. Certainly other clubs may not be overly willing to travel to the region if they feel that they are putting their staff and players at risk. The hope though is that things can calm down in the next couple of weeks or months. Ultimately though, it’s anyone’s guess at this point what’s going to happen. Playing Liga MX games is certainly not something that’s a priority considering the ongoing situation.
Dorados Of Sinaloa Versus Correcaminos Was Also Suspended
Everything that we just mentioned about Mazatlan applies tenfold for Dorados of Sinaloa who play in the Expansion league. This team plays directly in Culiacán Sinaloa which as we mentioned is the epicenter of the violence. Therefore, it’s anyone’s guess at this point in time how this team is going to manage to play its home games. As we previously stated there’s obviously hope that violent incidents will die down in the coming hours or days. However, there’s no set time table for this type of situation.
Correcaminos for their part are likely caught in the crossfire. The team from Tamaulipas was supposed to play Dorados today in Culiacan. The league and the team have already made it official that the game is not going to be taking place. However, at least through the team’s social media accounts there has been no update on where the players and the team staff are at the moment. Since the game was set to be played tonight there’s a good chance that the players and coaches are already in Culiacan. Perhaps one of the reasons though that the team doesn’t want to provide updates on where they are is to not provoke violence near the team hotel. Whatever the case may be, it’s a very difficult situation for this visiting team.
We’ll Keep You Posted If New Game Suspensions Occur
Hopefully those are the only two games that are canceled this week. Not because playing soccer is necessarily a priority in the ongoing climate, but because it would mean that violence has not spread to other parts of Mexico. If there are more canceled games as we get closer to the weekend though we’ll keep you informed.
