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_{Hello, Hi Visionaries!}

_{Right, let's talk about something a bit different this week. Something that sits at the chaotic intersection of geopolitics, organised crime designations, and the beautiful game. Because if you think World Cup 2026 is just about Ronaldo’s last chance to get the games top prize and who's getting the broadcasting rights, you're missing the bigger board move happening in the background.}

_{Since early 2025, the United States has been designating certain Mexican cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), essentially putting them in the same enforcement category as groups like ISIS. This isn't symbolic. It's a shift in how money moves, how banks behave, and how anyone touching Mexican business gets scrutinised.}

_{OFAC (the US Treasury's sanctions enforcer) doesn't mess about. When they designate someone, global financial systems start moving differently. Banks delay transfers. Compliance teams sweat. Brands insert termination clauses into contracts. And sectors known for cash density (hospitality, construction, gambling, and yes, football) suddenly become board-level risk topics.}

_{Historical precedent? Think about FIFA's own corruption scandals that led to the 2015 arrests. The US didn't prosecute those cases because they love football governance. They did it because financial flows through the US system gave them jurisdiction. Cartels getting the terror label? Same playbook, different target. Enforcement follows the money, and football has always been excellent at moving money around.}

_{Let's be clear: Mexican football isn't "run by cartels." But it has repeatedly intersected with organised crime allegations in ways that should make anyone writing a cheque or signing a partnership very, very careful.}

_{A few receipts:}

_{2017: Rafael Márquez, Mexico national team captain, was sanctioned by the US Treasury over alleged links to a suspected trafficking network. He denied wrongdoing, but his name was on an OFAC list.}

_{2020: Cruz Azul's leadership faced allegations of fraud and organised crime links, according to documents reported by ESPN.}

_{US prosecutions have alleged the use of Mexican football teams as covers for laundering operations.}

_{And right now, the US is actively targeting cartel-linked fuel theft logistics and casino laundering networks tied to major cartels like CJNG and Sinaloa.}

_{Mexico is a high-upside market (passionate fans, commercial growth, diaspora engagement) but governance has to assume organised crime adjacency risk exists somewhere in the ecosystem. Maybe it's in ticketing. Maybe it's in construction vendors. Maybe it's in the "consultant" who knows a guy who knows a guy.}

_{Now add the World Cup into this mix. Mexico isn't just hosting matches. It's co-hosting a global mega-event during a period when the US is reasserting what some analysts are calling "Monroe Doctrine 2.0."}

_{In early January 2026, the US conducted a military operation in Venezuela resulting in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, a move framed as part of a broader hemispheric strategy focused on resource control, access, and limiting rival influence (particularly China and Russia). This isn't your grandfather's Monroe Doctrine about keeping European powers out. This is about asserting dominance over energy flows, trade corridors, and political outcomes across Latin America.}

_{Mexico's response? President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected US military intervention and reaffirmed Mexico's constitutional principles of sovereignty and non-intervention. That's a polite diplomatic "stay in your lane," delivered on the global stage.}

_{So here's the tension: the US is pushing a sphere-of-influence agenda whilst co-hosting a World Cup with a country that just publicly pushed back on that very agenda. And all of this is happening under the world's media spotlight, with billions watching.}

_{Historical precedent? Look at the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, held during a brutal military dictatorship. FIFA didn't pull the tournament, but the geopolitical backdrop shadowed every match. Or the 2018 World Cup in Russia, held amid sanctions and geopolitical isolation. Sport doesn't happen in a vacuum. It amplifies the political context it sits within.}

_{If you're a European club eyeing Mexican talent, a PE fund looking at Liga MX investment, or a brand considering a commercial partnership, here's the governance:}

_{When cartels are designated as terrorists, banks tighten controls. Expect slower cross-border payments, more requests for information (RFIs), and sudden account freezes if a counterparty looks "adjacent" to a risk corridor.}

_{Sponsors and broadcasters are inserting stronger termination rights and enhanced representations around beneficial ownership transparency, third-party payer identification, and "no dealings with sanctioned persons" clauses.}

_{If you're signing deals in Mexico, these aren't nice-to-haves. They're essentials.}

_{Security contractors, stadium operators, catering, construction. These are classic financial crime points in high-risk environments. Under heightened US scrutiny, these become board-level liabilities, not operational level paperwork.}

_{If you're building a Mexico-to-Europe talent strategy, you need written transfer governance (approvals, fee breakdowns, intermediary caps), a strict no third-party payer policy, centralised documentation (no side letters floating around).}

_{Why? Because one bad intermediary or one murky payment structure could land your club in a regulatory investigation that makes the back pages for all the wrong reasons.}

_{Here's the short version of what governance should look like if you're engaging with Mexican football in any serious capacity:}

_{Full beneficial ownership map (including trusts, nominees, side vehicles). PEP/sanctions/adverse media screening for owners, directors, executives, and "shadow controllers."}

_{Proof of origin for equity injections, shareholder loans, sponsorship advances. Red flags: cash-intensive businesses (casinos, fuel logistics, construction) that have appeared in cartel laundering narratives.}

_{Right-to-audit clauses, termination rights for sanctions risk, subcontractor transparency. This covers security vendors, ticketing partners, hospitality, construction, and local "fixers."}

_{Policy on supporter engagement, controls around free tickets, travel, "donations," and informal cash flows. Safeguarding and security escalation routes.}

_{Data integrity controls, betting-related exposure policies, internal reporting lines independent from commercial leadership.}

_{When cartels are treated as terrorist entities, football stops being a local cultural product and becomes part of a cross-border enforcement ecosystem. Mexico's commercial upside rises (passionate fans, growing media rights, diaspora engagement) but so does the cost of weak governance.}

_{And with World Cup 2026 happening in the middle of a renewed US foreign policy strategy? The scrutiny is heightened.}

_{The takeaway for business professionals: Mexico is investable, but only if you treat it as a high-potential, high-control environment. That means asking harder questions, demanding more transparency, and building governance frameworks that can withstand regulatory heat.}

_{Because the last thing you want is your name showing up in an OFAC alert or a compliance newsletter because you didn't ask the right questions about who actually owns that ticketing platform or who's financing that stadium build.}

_{Sport has always been a stage where politics, money, and power collide. The 2026 World Cup will be no different, except this time, the collision is happening with cartel designations, Monroe Doctrine assertions, and a co-host relationship that's diplomatically... "complex."}

_{For those of us in governance, this is both a warning and an opportunity. The clubs, investors, and brands that build robust frameworks now will navigate this complexity cleanly. The ones that don't? Well, they'll learn the hard way that geopolitics isn't background noise. It's the game within the game.}

_{And if you're serious about a board role or advisory position in sports, being able to map these intersections (governance, financial crime risk, geopolitical context, and commercial strategy) is exactly the kind thinking that gets you in the room.}

_{This newsletter is for informational purposes only and is not financial or business advice in any capacity. The information shared is our thoughts & opinions and does not represent the opinions of any other person, business, entity, or sponsor. The contents of this newsletter also should not be used in any public or private domain without the authors express permission.}