A man fell to his death ahead of the Mexico vs Portugal friendly at the Banorte Stadium on Saturday, the venue for the World Cup opening ceremony this summer.
The arena in Mexico City was officially reopened this weekend after being renovated, but the occasion was marked by the tragic death.
Reuters report that the man was in the box seats in the second level of the stadium and attempted to jump down to the first level.
He tried to climb along ‘the exterior of the structure’ but fell to the ground floor and died as a result.
Local authorities confirmed that the man was intoxicated, as per the report.
A statement from Fiscalía CDMX, posted on social media, read: ‘Mexico City Public Prosecutor’s Office (Fiscalía CDMX) deeply regrets the death of a person on Saturday, 28 March inside the Banorte Stadium, prior to the start of the Mexican national team’s friendly match.
‘From the outset, officials from the Attorney General’s Office, forensic experts and officers from the Investigative Police attended the scene to commence the necessary investigations.
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‘The area was cordoned off, the scene was secured, and evidence was collected by experts specialising in criminalistics, photography and forensic medicine.
‘Furthermore, analysis of CCTV footage from the stadium and its entrances is underway, as is the collection of statements from people who were at the scene, with the aim of accurately reconstructing the sequence of events and determining potential liability.
‘Similarly, the statutory post-mortem procedure is currently underway to establish with certainty the cause of death, as well as the physical condition of the individual at the time of the fall.
‘The Mexico City Public Prosecutor’s Office will continue its investigations thoroughly and will keep the public informed as relevant developments arise, in strict accordance with the principles of due process.’
The stadium was formerly known as Estadio Azteca and has undergone extensive renovation work ahead of this year’s tournament.
The friendly contest on Saturday marked the reopening of the arena, which will become the first stadium to host matches at three World Cups.
The Azteca hosted the iconic 1970 World Cup final as Brazil beat Italy 4-1 and the 1986 final, which saw Argentina beat West Germany 3-2.
The new Estadio Banorte is scheduled to host the opening ceremony this year and the tournament’s first fixture, between Mexico and South Africa, along with two more matches.
Despite the tragedy ahead of the game on Saturday, the match went ahead, with Mexico and Portugal playing out a goalless draw.
Premier League stars including Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot, Matheus Nunes, Pedro Neto and Raul Jimenez featured in the game.
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