Fan dies after falling from Mexico City World Cup stadium during Mexico-Portugal friendly – The Athletic
A fan died from a fall at Mexico City’s Estadio Banorte, formerly known as Estadio Azteca, during the Mexico-Portugal friendly on Saturday, Mexico City security officials said in a statement on X.
The Mexico City Public Prosecutor’s Office subsequently confirmed that, according to initial reports, the supporter fell from the stadium’s VIP box area onto the car park.
On Sunday, the Mexican football federation (FMF) posted a statement of condolence and reiterated its priority of “safeguarding the safety of those inside stadiums” under its jurisdiction.
Gianni Infantino, president of football’s world governing body FIFA, said the organisation was left “deeply saddened” by the event.
A statement posted on X from the Mexico City Public Prosecutor’s Office (Fiscalía CDMX) read that it “deeply regrets the death of a person on Saturday, 28 March inside the Banorte Stadium, prior to the start of the Mexican national team’s friendly match.
“From the outset, officials from the Attorney General’s Office, forensic experts and officers from the Investigative Police attended the scene to commence the necessary investigations. The area was cordoned off, the scene was secured, and evidence was collected by experts specialising in criminalistics, photography and forensic medicine.
“Furthermore, analysis of CCTV footage from the stadium and its entrances is underway, as is the collection of statements from people who were at the scene, with the aim of accurately reconstructing the sequence of events and determining potential liability.
“Similarly, the statutory post-mortem procedure is currently underway to establish with certainty the cause of death, as well as the physical condition of the individual at the time of the fall.
“The Mexico City Public Prosecutor’s Office will continue its investigations thoroughly and will keep the public informed as relevant developments arise, in strict accordance with the principles of due process.”
The friendly, which ended in a 0-0 draw, was a key test for the historic stadium, which reopened Saturday after a multi-year renovation in preparation for the World Cup this summer.
The stadium will host five matches, including the World Cup opener between Mexico and South Africa on June 11. That match will make it the first stadium ever to host three World Cup opening matches (1970, 1986).
The incident was not widely publicized during the match inside the stadium, which went ahead as scheduled. The Athletic spoke to multiple security officials and fans at the stadium, who knew little about what happened.
The Athletic has contacted FIFA requesting comment.
