After a contentious few weeks leading up to the World Cup, Nuevo León Governor Samuel García says he is already in “party mode,” declaring that he will be too busy having fun to answer his phone.
Speaking in Monterrey — the state capital and a World Cup host city — García joked that his secretary, Evencio Hernández, will be handling all matters pertaining to the governor’s office.
“If there’s anything to discuss, talk to Evencio. I’ll be at the party,” he said, adding that the five-and-a-half-week-long tournament is “not a time for working.”
Opposition politicians in the state criticized García’s laissez-faire attitude encapsulated in another remark — “Take a break. Enjoy yourselves, it’s not all about hard work.” — while the state Congress issued a formal apology to World Cup tourists for “the mess they will see and the public works the governor did not complete.”
Escobedo Mayor Andrés Mijes of the ruling Morena party — saying he was in “ass-kicking” mode — called García’s comments “regrettable” and questioned what might happen in case of an emergency.
State lawmakers decried the unfinished public works projects, with National Action Party (PAN) Deputy Carlos de la Fuente saying the “embarrassing” state of things is a “reflection of a failed government.”
Local politicians also criticized García’s decision to erect fences and drape tarpaulin sheets in different parts of the city “with the purpose of hiding poorer sections of the city from tourists,” calling the action “classist” and “discriminatory.”
“[García] did not meet his commitments to FIFA, but now he’s in party mode, waiting for the public works he said would be the pride of Nuevo León to magically finish themselves,” de la Fuente said.
The failed commitments de la Fuente referenced and García’s insistence on disregarding FIFA rules nearly cost Monterrey its position as host city, according to journalist Carlos Loret de Mola.
García reportedly ignored FIFA’s sweeping commercial restrictions, establishing a program favoring non-FIFA-approved brand names and sponsors. He also sought to promote local brands within the advertising exclusion zones located at the iconic Fundidora Park, site of the FIFA Fan Fest.
Additionally, the governor authorized the application of orange paint on structures surrounding Fan Fests, in violation of regulations prohibiting politicizing the World Cup. (Orange is the official color of García’s Citizens’ Movement Party.)
Loret de Mola says FIFA came close to stripping Monterrey of hosting duties before García backed down and a settlement was reached.
With reports from Expansión Política, Infobae, Proceso and Informador
