The Cartel Ties of Football in Guadalajara, Mexico
Two years ahead of hosting the 2026 World Cup, Mexico has questions to answer over how organised crime influences its football leagues.
Mexico’s Jalisco Cartel New Generation (CJNG) has its fingers in many pies. While drug trafficking remains a primary earner, its empire of extortion across Mexico collects contributions from avocado farmers, tequila producers, hotel owners, and cattle ranchers, among many others.
Much of the money so collected is laundered in the CJNG’s “home province” of Jalisco (as documented in World of Crime’s CJNG - A Quick Guide to Mexico’s Deadliest Cartel.) US and Mexican authorities have extensively documented the network of front companies, restaurants, hotels, and shopping centers the CJNG runs to launder illicit funds.
But that’s not all. The CJNG has ties to the two top-tier football clubs in Jalisco, Atlas F.C. and Club Deportivo Guadalajara, better known as Chivas. For the first, the cartel has reportedly infiltrated the club’s fan base,…
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Sports and Crime Briefing to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.