This weekend, a high-impact match will take place at Ciudad Universitaria known as the Capital Classic. As a security measure, only non-alcoholic beer will be sold to the América fan group during their visit to Pumas' stadium.
"This is not only a mechanism we are using to inhibit violence inside stadiums; we have been implementing this action in all stadiums in Mexico City since last season. This has been a great incentive for us to reduce the violence that was occurring during or after matches," commented José Gil García, the subsecretary of Information and Police Intelligence of the capital's Ministry of Public Security.
On the program Chain Reaction, Gil García revealed that this protocol has helped reduce incidents of violence in Mexico City stadiums.
"Last year, there were more than 12 million fans attending matches nationwide, with at least 3 million of them in Mexico City stadiums. We can say that last year there were no serious incidents. This is due to the decision we made together with fan groups, animation teams, stadiums, management, and the league itself," he explained.
He stated that they realized that "if we prevented the sale of alcohol to the visiting fan section, it did not affect all visitors. We managed to identify the factor, and it has been positive."
For this Sunday, the Ministry of Public Security will deploy "1,600 officers inside the stadium hired by the club," said Gustavo Martínez, administrative director of Pumas.
In recent years, the América team decided to arrive at CU in armored vans to prevent their bus from being stoned and to avoid any injuries to team members.
However, for this match in the third round of the 2018 Clausura Tournament in the Mexican League, that tradition will end, as América might even offer a mixed zone.
"Modifications have been made in the way they will arrive. Before, they used vans, but now they will use buses, just like all other teams," commented the director of Pumas.
The América team practically went unnoticed at CU, as they would finish the match and immediately leave the stadium in a van without giving any statements. Occasionally, the current coach would attend the press conference.