With England set to play a World Cup match in Mexico City on Sunday, the U.K. government issued updated travel recommendations that warned of Mexico’s “risks related to crime and violence.”
The British travel alert prompted President Sheinbaum to once again defend her country’s preparedness in response to dire cautions from abroad.
Ahead of the soccer tournament for which Mexico serves as co-host, the U.K.’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) issued a World Cup travel guide. Among the featured sections about Mexico were “Warnings and insurance,” “Safety and security” and “Regional risks.”
It includes warnings against visiting specific regions of Mexico. Eleven states, primarily in the north, were mentioned as particularly dangerous (“Take extreme care outside tourist areas in all these states,” it cautioned) and British nationals were advised to be aware of restricted areas and surroundings.
After England advanced to Sunday’s Round of 16 match against Mexico at Mexico City Stadium (FIFA’s name for Estadio Azteca), the FCDO revamped its guidebook, anticipating that fans of The Three Lions team would attend the game en masse.
The updated alert retained the original cautions and added some new ones. For example, the FCDO said, “During the tournament, there has been an increase in reports of mobile phone thefts and adulteration of drinks.”
It even included the reports of fan deaths in Mexico City (from overcrowding, not “crime and violence”) during Tuesday night’s celebrations after El Tri’s victory over Ecuador.
While acknowledging that celebrations in Mexico City have gotten rather extreme, Sheinbaum said the federal government has been in contact with the Mexico City mayor’s office to better coordinate crowd control and reduce excessive congestion, especially on Reforma Avenue, the most popular gathering spot.
“It is difficult to expect police officers to be able to contain a million people,” she said, adding that federal and local authorities will continue to urge the public to act responsibly.
“In general, it is safe to travel to Mexico, there have been no problems,” she said. “We’ve seen that throughout the entire World Cup.”
The FCDO reminded citizens that traveling against its recommendations could affect the validity of travel insurance taken out by British citizens.
It also said that if a passport is lost or stolen, an Emergency Travel Document provided by the British Embassy cannot be used to enter the U.S. from Mexico. In this case, even if you had plans to go to the U.S. for a subsequent World Cup match, you’d have no choice but to return to the U.K.
Meanwhile in England, the government bowed to pressure from fans and businesses and will allow pubs to stay open past the usual closing times, when Sunday’s game will be taking place in that time zone.
With reports from El Universal and El Financiero
