A man from Mexico City was arrested by the police on Wednesday on charges that he was attempting to make some money through social media by selling off his FIFA World Cup accreditation.
He was taken into custody close to the famous Azteca Stadium, where he attempted to activate his accreditation. The authorities took notice of the fraud due to advertisements placed by him on social media, but the exact price he had demanded has not been revealed, as per reports of Reuters.
This happened before the World Cup teams Uzbekistan and Colombia were going to play against each other at the Group K stage in the capital city.
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The Mexican wrath at the opening ceremony
Mexico opened their World Cup campaign with a scintillating 2-0 win over South Africa at the Estadio Azteca, continuing their record of not losing in any of the World Cups held here. This exciting match went into the record books as the Estadio Azteca became the first stadium to play 20 games in the World Cup, though the match saw three red cards.
It took just nine minutes for Mexico to open the account. Following a risky pass by Ronwen Williams, Erik Lira intercepted the ball and gave it to Julian Quinones, who fired it from the edge of the penalty area to score the goal. It was the earliest goal scored by Mexico in the opening game of a World Cup since Philipp Lahm in 2006.
The Mexicans maintained their dominance throughout the rest of the first half. Raul Jimenez and Brian Gutierrez almost scored as they had some attempts saved by Williams, but Quinones managed to hit the woodwork. Amongst the South Africans, Lyle Foster was closest to scoring with a header that went wide.
The ‘game of cards’ in the second half
Mexico started off strongly in the first half, thanks to a vociferous crowd, 57 per cent ball control and ten shots on target.
However, the woes of South Africa increased in the 50th minute as they lost one of their best players, Sithole, who was shown a red card as he was playing recklessly just outside the box. Soon afterwards, 17-year-old Gilberto Mora took the field, making him the youngest player at the World Cup tournament. Finally, in the 67th minute, Mexico sealed their victory as 35-year-old Raul Jimenez scored a well-placed header following a cross from Alvarado, beating Williams’ efforts to score their second goal.
The end moments were very messy, and the referee awarded a red card to Zwane in the 83rd minute, reducing South Africa to just nine players. Even Mexico managed to lose a player through a red card late in the game. However, the damage had been done, and Mexico emerged victorious in this encounter.
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The eventful week during the World Cup in Mexico City is one which can be described as the embodiment of everything that was involved with the event. The measures that were taken by FIFA ensured that the attempt at fraud through the accreditation process of tickets was stopped before any damage could occur. On the other hand, Mexico capitalised on their territory with a win against South Africa with a score of 2-0.
FAQs:
Where was the suspect arrested while trying to activate the fraudulent FIFA accreditation?
He was taken into custody close to the famous Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
Who became the youngest player at the World Cup after coming on as a substitute for Mexico?
17-year-old Gilberto Mora became the youngest player to feature in the tournament.
