By MEGAN JANETSKY<\/p>\n
GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) \u2014 Hugo Alejandro P\u00e9rez was in his house a few miles from the Mexican stadium that is slated to host FIFA World Cup games<\/a> when gunfire and explosions erupted just outside his door.<\/p>\n The 53-year-old restaurant owner was already skeptical about his city, Guadalajara<\/a>, hosting the international sporting event.<\/p>\n He saw a government that failed to fix basic things, like water service to his home, along with cartel violence in the surrounding state of Jalisco and shook his head. The surge of bloodshed<\/a> this week following the Mexican military\u2019s killing of the country\u2019s most powerful cartel boss<\/a> offered more confirmation of his doubts.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think they should host the World Cup here,\u201d Per\u00e9z said. \u201cWe have so many problems, and they want to invest in the World Cup? With all the violence, it\u2019s not a good idea.\u201d<\/p>\n Per\u00e9z joined other people Tuesday in questioning Guadalajara\u2019s capacity to be a host city for the summer soccer competition, even as the Mexican government vowed that the international event \u2014 hosted jointly by Mexico, the United States and Canada \u2014 will not be affected.<\/p>\n President offers \u2018every guarantee\u2019 for World Cup<\/p>\n President Claudia Sheinbaum<\/a> was asked at her daily news briefing what guarantees there are that World Cup matches will be held in Jalisco. \u201cEvery guarantee,\u201d she said, adding that there was \u201cno risk\u201d for fans coming to the tournament.<\/p>\n Jalisco Gov. Jes\u00fas Pablo Lemus said he had spoken with local FIFA officials, who have \u201cabsolutely no intention of removing any venues from Mexico. The three venues remain completely unchanged.\u201d<\/p>\n The same day, the Portuguese soccer federation said it was \u201cclosely monitoring the delicate situation\u201d in Mexico.\u201d Its national team was scheduled to play Mexico\u2019s team in a friendly on March 28 at the newly renovated Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, which is scheduled to host the opening World Cup match on June 11.<\/p>\n Jalisco, in western Mexico, was already facing scrutiny. The state has been plagued by some of the starkest examples of cartel violence in recent years, including the discovery of a cartel killing site at a ranch<\/a> last March and a crisis of disappearances.<\/p>\n The state, with Guadalajara as its capital, is the central hub for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel<\/a>, whose leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes<\/a>, or \u201cEl Mencho,\u201d was killed Sunday in a capture attempt by the military.<\/p>\n The operation and waves of violence<\/a> killed 70 people. Cartel gunmen set fire to cars to block streets in states across the country, namely Jalisco, and fought with Mexican forces into Monday as the government said the conflict was under control.<\/p>\n The death of Oseguera Cervantes came as Mexico\u2019s government has stepped up its offensive against cartels in an effort to meet demands by U.S. President Donald Trump to crack down on criminal groups. The cartel, also known as CJNG, is one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico.<\/p>\n The White House confirmed that the U.S. provided intelligence support to capture the cartel leader and applauded Mexico\u2019s army for taking down a man who was one of the most wanted criminals in both countries. On Tuesday night, U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to briefly reference the operation during his State of the Union address, saying \u201cWe\u2019ve also taken down one of the most sinister cartel kingpins of all. You saw that yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n Drug lord\u2019s death could lead to more violence<\/p>\n Per\u00e9z, the restaurant owner, also commended Sheinbaum\u2019s efforts to go after cartels, saying the government has taken cartel violence more seriously than her predecessors. At the same time, he said, local authorities in Jalisco have fallen short in protecting civilians.<\/p>\n The root concern for many is that the death of \u201cEl Mencho\u201d could pave the way for more violence. Killing capos, in what\u2019s become known as the \u201ckingpin strategy,\u201d<\/a> has been criticized by Sheinbaum herself because it can often spark internal conflict between cartel factions and push rival cartels to make territorial grabs.<\/p>\n Vanda Felbab-Brown, an academic at the Brookings Institution, said she doesn\u2019t see more acts of \u201crevenge\u201d by the cartel as likely, but the future remains uncertain, especially after leading figures in both CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel have been knocked out in recent years<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIf there is no clear line of succession (in CJNG), we might see a lot of fighting within the cartel, its breakup, and there are a lot of scenarios,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n On Sunday, when firefights broke out between the cartel and soldiers, and gunmen began to burn a car just feet in front of Per\u00e9z\u2019s house, he let people on the street scramble inside his home to seek cover. The fighting raged for an hour.<\/p>\n