The celebration of football should not be built on job insecurity, warns Gómez Urrutia.

Fernando Camacho and Enrique Méndez

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, June 12, 2025, p. a11

With a view to the 2026 World Cup, it is necessary to ensure that Mexican workers receive fair wages and decent working conditions, so that the sporting event is not built on job insecurity , said Representative Napoleón Gómez Urrutia (Morena).

In the context of a forum held yesterday in San Lázaro, the legislator welcomed the return of the World Cup to the country, but at the same time warned of the dangers of not respecting the rights of the workers who will make this event possible, as occurred in the 2022 Qatar tournament, where 6,000 construction workers died.

“We cannot allow inequalities to deepen during this World Cup (in 2026). On the contrary, we must make it a turning point so that together—governments, businesses, and unions—we can build more equitable, fairer, and more humane working conditions throughout North America,” Gómez Urrutia emphasized.

During the meeting, the representative recalled that the World Cup involves hundreds of thousands of people working in strategic sectors , ranging from hospitality to transportation and food.

All women deserve fair working hours, social security, union protection, safe working conditions, decent wages, and a work environment free from violence and discrimination . They also need a gender-sensitive approach, as women face the heaviest workloads.

Gómez Urrutia reported that during the most recent visit by the International Confederation of Building and Wood Workers to inspect construction work related to the tournament, they were not allowed to visit the Azteca stadium to supervise the working conditions of the workers, and therefore called for this type of inspection not to be halted due to personal interests .

Rosario Ortiz, general secretary of the Network of Women Trade Unionists, emphasized that organizing mega-sporting projects, such as the World Cup, has a social and environmental impact that must be monitored. She warned that it is still unclear whether the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) already has a human rights project in Mexico.

In Mexico, he emphasized, what happened in Qatar 2022, where 6,000 employees died due to a lack of minimum safety and hygiene conditions, must be avoided. It was a catastrophe for construction workers in that country .

Adriana Díaz Reyes

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, June 12, 2025, p. a12

Although Marco Verde has landed very few blows in the professional ranks, his career in paid boxing can go as far as he wants.

Eddy Reynoso, his manager and trainer for Saúl Canelo Álvarez, asserted that the boxer is a diamond in the rough with the potential to become the next big boxing star in the country.

"It would be mediocre to think he couldn't be like Canelo ; after Julio César Chávez, many believed no one could win titles in different weight classes, and he did. Mexican boxing is the best in the world, and anything is possible," Reynoso stated during the presentation of Verde's second professional fight.

As long as Canelo is active, the trainer added, he will oversee the career of the Olympic silver medalist, whom he described as a disciplined and committed athlete.

We want to emulate what we did many years ago with Saúl. We have everything we need to make him one of the best, and we're going to work hard. He's a diamond in the rough, and we're going to polish him to take him to the top. He has plenty of talent and discipline , he explained.

Verde's training, Reynoso explained, will be distributed throughout Mexico and the United States. We want him to compete in other states and also fight in the north; that will improve his performance and help him become familiar with fighters in his weight class .

Verde's next match will take place on July 12 at the Juan S. Millán Sports Center in Culiacán, Sinaloa.

It's going to be a great celebration, because what he did in Paris made him an example for many children. His medal encouraged those who didn't dare to pursue their dreams, to be brave.

The boxer declared himself ready for his second fight in paid boxing, which will take place in his native Sinaloa.

▲ The fight will take place in Culiacán and will be the Olympic silver medalist's second professional bout. Photo @MarcoAGreen

Promises more spectacle

"My first fight wasn't what I expected. I hope this time there will be more rounds and more spectacle. I'm preparing myself physically and mentally to go out there with my arm raised and give my fans something to cheer about," he said.

The Sinaloan spoke respectfully about his rival, Venezuelan Humberto López, an opponent who has an 8-2 record and several knockouts.

"It'll be a tough six- round fight, but I'll have the fans' support. I feel comfortable, though not confident, because he's also preparing to win."

–How complicated has the transition to professionalism been?

"It's very tough after more than a decade as an amateur. I was used to fighting three rounds at a fast pace, but I've learned to calm down because the fights are longer now. I'm taking it slow; I'm not in a hurry because it's a radical change," explained the boxer, who fights at 160 pounds.

In his professional debut on May 3, El Green knocked out Michel Polina in just seconds, who declared that the Mexican defeated him thanks to the fact that he had to lose a lot of weight in a short period of time.

If you want to be a professional, you have to be ready 365 days a year. I'm in shape, always training, and every boxer has to do the same because it's their profession. I think he should have been in shape; I just played my fight , he concluded.

Present at the announcement of the upcoming fight were Culiacán Mayor Juan de Dios Mendívil and Sinaloa Tourism Secretary Mireya Sosa.

Adriana Díaz Reyes

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, June 12, 2025, p. a12

The World Athletics Athletics Integrity Unit (AUI) has suspended Mexican marathon runner Citlali Moscote for three years after testing positive for the banned substance octodrine.

The champion of the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, took an anti-doping test last January after participating in a 10-kilometer race in Valencia, Spain. Three weeks later, a World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory in Barcelona reported an adverse result in her sample.

Moscote argued that her consumption of the substance was not intentional, but rather due to a contaminated product. The long-distance runner requested an analysis of her supplements, but the UIA determined that the evidence presented was insufficient to avoid the sanction.

Finding no other way to avoid punishment, Moscote, 30, decided to accept the suspension. This isn't the first time the national team player has tested positive for banned substances. In July 2019, she was given a two-year ban due to the presence of oxilofrine and phenpromethamine in a sample taken from the athlete on April 7 of that year.

For his performance, Moscote received a 24,000-peso scholarship from September to December 2024; in January and February of this year, it was reduced to 15,000 pesos, before finally losing the support last March due to the possibility of a positive doping test.

The Mexican woman's punishment will end on March 24, 2028, just a few months before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Before Moscote, athletes like Olympic silver medalist Lupita González were sanctioned.

In addition to a four-year suspension imposed by the UIA for failing a doping test (trenbolone, an anabolic steroid), González is serving an extended suspension for lying during his defense since November 2018, according to a ruling by the World Athletics Disciplinary Tribunal.

González will be eligible to return to competition on November 15, 2026. Her goal is to seek a spot on the national team and participate in the Pan American Games, the World Championships, and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

In 2024, Eduardo Rodríguez, who won silver in the 1,500 meters at the 2018 Barranquilla Central American and Caribbean Games, was suspended for three years after the presence of boldenone was detected in his system.

The runner argued that the substance could have come from a medical injection, a post-operative supplement, or meat consumption.

▲ Indiana's Mathurin led his team to retake the lead in the finals. AP Photo

Ap

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, June 12, 2025, p. a30

Indianapolis. Benedict Mathurin led his team with 27 points off the bench, and Tyrese Haliburton added 22 as the Indiana Pacers reclaimed the lead in the NBA Finals with a 116-107 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3.

Indiana, which lost Game 2 at Oklahoma a few days ago, improved its record to 10-0 since mid-March in games following a loss. Several players contributed at different times and were key, said Haliburton, one of the Pacers' leaders.

For the Thunder, Jalen Williams led the way with 26 points, followed by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 24, and Chet Holmgren with 20. Oklahoma held a five-point lead going into the fourth quarter but couldn't hold on. Game 4 will be played again in Indianapolis on Friday night.

History now favors the Pacers because in the previous 41 NBA Finals, which were tied 1-1, the team that won Game 3 went on to win 33 times, or 80.5 percent of the time.

Fans at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis witnessed a close and exciting duel from start to finish, at times worthy of the history books. There were 15 ties throughout the game. To put this into context, last year's Finals between Boston and Dallas had only 13 total over five games.

TJ McConnell contributed 10 points, five assists, and the same number of steals for Indiana. Since these statistics have been recorded, no reserve has achieved that combination in a Finals game.

“We had guys who came through again and again,” Haliburton added. “Our second unit was sensational.” With less than three minutes left, Aaron Nesmith committed a hard foul on Alex Caruso, leading to a lengthy review by the officials to determine if it deserved to be called a flagrant foul. Ultimately, it was ruled a common foul, and Caruso was awarded only two free throws.

The Pacers, playing an NBA Finals game at home for the first time in 25 years, maintained their composure and control until the end.