“Following a security incident outside a competing hotel in Celaya, and as a precaution and to ensure the best possible experience for all participants, Concacaf has decided, in coordination with the FMF, to move the remainder of the tournament to Irapuato and León,” they detailed.
“No more matches will be played in Celaya,” they added in a joint statement.
Concacaf has rescheduled the Group A matches that were to be played between Thursday, July 25 and Friday, July 26 in Celaya.
The national teams will leave the municipality of Celaya in the next few hours to go to León.
In recent years, Celaya and Guanajuato have emerged as some of the most violent places in Mexico.
This Wednesday, traffic police and road police from Celaya were attacked with bullets in the parking lot of the Hotel Casa Inn, in Plaza Veleros. This incident provoked a reaction from Concacaf.
The state Secretariat of Citizen Security confirmed that police officer José Ramón “N” died and his partner was injured after the attack.
The truck carrying players from one of the participating teams was riddled with bullets from the armed attack. The athletes had not yet boarded the truck.
(Photo: Diego Costa Costa/Cuartoscuro)
The incident occurred as Mexican authorities prepare to host the 2026 World Cup.
FIFA has already identified the main problems or “red flags” that exist in Mexico, one of the three venues that will host the sporting event.
According to sports outlet ESPN, the consulting firm Ergon Associates, commissioned by FIFA, conducted an evaluation of Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, the three Mexican cities that will host matches in the World Cup.
Public safety is the number one risk that Ergon identifies in the Mexican capital, mainly due to the violence against women in public spaces (including femicides).
