On Tuesday, June 30, 2026, mothers searching for their missing loved ones staged a protest on Calzada de Tlalpan near Eje 8 Sur, a key route to Estadio Azteca, just before the Mexico vs. Ecuador match in the round of 16 at the World Cup. <\/p>\n
Around 12:30 p.m., these search collectives attempted to block the road, but officers from Mexico City\u2019s Secretariat of Citizen Security (SSC) tried to stop them, as captured in a video shared by OVIAL. The confrontation quickly escalated, with groups like the Frente Nacional por las 40 horas accusing the police of repressing the searchers and calling for urgent support near Metro Ermita. <\/p>\n
The footage shows officers attempting to remove banners displaying missing persons\u2019 photos and the slogan \u201cThe ball returns home, but where are they?\u201d At one point, two police officers are seen pulling a father involved in the search and detaining him against a pole. One woman, wearing a Mexico national team jersey altered with a missing person\u2019s photo, shouted, \u201cThe police are attacking families searching for their loved ones.\u201d <\/p>\n
As several women tried to free the detained father, representatives from the Mexico City Human Rights Commission arrived to negotiate with the police, successfully securing his release. <\/p>\n
The protest site is expected to host a \u201clittle soccer game against forgetting\u201d and the posting of missing persons\u2019 flyers from Mexico City and other states. <\/p>\n
This demonstration is part of a series of actions planned by search collectives around Estadio Azteca on June 30 to raise awareness about the country\u2019s ongoing disappearance crisis during the World Cup. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s worth remembering that on the tournament\u2019s opening day, hundreds marched along Calzada de Tlalpan from Taxque\u00f1a demanding accountability from authorities. Later, during the Mexico vs. Czech Republic match, some mothers sang a new version of \u201cCielito Lindo\u201d at the Monument to the Revolution, blending cultural expression with their call for justice. <\/p>\n
This ongoing visibility effort highlights the intersection of social activism and national events, reminding us that behind the excitement of global sports, urgent human rights issues persist.<\/p>\n