The Portuguese Football Federation have announced that they are monitoring the situation in Mexico ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal national team’s visit next month. They are scheduled to play the Mexico national team at the newly renovated Azteca Stadium on March 28.
Mexico has come to a standstill this week following the killing of the country’s most powerful druglord, El Mencho. Widespread violence has put the country on high alert, just months before the FIFA World Cup.
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Portugal have now announced that they are yet to make a decision on the travel ahead of their friendly next month. In a statement released this week, they said (via ESPN):
“Any decision will be made as a result of ongoing monitoring, in close coordination with the government and in line with the Mexican Football Federation, an entity with which the Portuguese Football Federation maintains excellent institutional relations and regular contact.”
“The Portuguese Football Federation emphasizes that the safety of players, coaching staff and fans is an absolute priority, and this is the main criteria for all assessments and decisions regarding the holding of the match.”
Mexico coach Javier Aguirre admitted that it was ‘normal’ for Portugal to make the checks, but is confident that the match will go ahead.
“They have the right to frequently evaluate the circumstances. Let’s wait and see, but I think the match will go ahead without any problems.”
Apart from Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal, Iceland are also scheduled to play a friendly in Mexico. They face the Mexico national team at the Corregidora Stadium in Querétaro on Wednesday, February 25.
Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal expected to be full strength in March
Portugal face Mexico and the United States in March and it will be their final friendly matches before the squad for the FIFA World Cup is announced. National team manager Roberto Martinez has confirmed that they will be playing the two friendlies with full strength to evaluate the Cristiano Ronaldo-led squad, and said:
“We have 40 players, all of whom could make the World Cup roster. The two matches in March are essential for us to reduce the group to 26. These aren’t matches we play just for the sake of playing; they are essential matches for our preparation.”
ESPN have reported that Cristiano Ronaldo will also be a part of the squad next month, but the reports came before the killing of El Mencho and the situation in Mexico this week.
Edited by Sripad
