MEXICO CITY — Following a massive street celebration that drew more than 700,000 fans to the city’s downtown, Mexico City’s government announced Friday it is weighing new steps to limit alcohol sales in public areas during World Cup events.
The celebration erupted after Mexico defeated South Korea, with supporters flooding the streets in green Tri jerseys and colorful Lucha Libre masks. Fans danced in the rain, waved flags, sang team anthems, and blew on vuvuzelas throughout the night.
The morning after told a different story. Reforma Avenue, one of the city’s busiest main roads, was blanketed in garbage, and many of the yellow cempasuchil flowers lining the boulevard had been crushed underfoot. Cleanup crews hauled away roughly 40 tons of waste from around the historic city center.
Mexico City’s government secretary Cesar Cravioto addressed the situation at a press conference, saying that managing a soccer event of this scale requires a focus on prevention — including cracking down on illegal street alcohol sales.
Cravioto said officials plan to ask nearby restaurants and bars to stop allowing customers to carry drinks outside, and that convenience stores in the area could be required to halt alcohol sales in the hours leading up to major matches.
The city also announced plans to install seven additional large viewing screens around the center, supplementing the 12 already in place, in an effort to spread crowds more evenly. More staff would also be deployed to reduce beer sales by street vendors.
“We will keep insisting that fans have fun but without excessive alcohol consumption,” Cravioto said.
Meanwhile, in Boston — another World Cup host city — fans of Scotland’s national team, known as the “Tartan Army,” consumed so much beer following Scotland’s 1-0 victory over Haiti at the city stadium that multiple bars reportedly ran out of stock.
Mexico is scheduled to face the Czech Republic in their next group stage match on Wednesday.
