Missing At The World Cup: Mexican Families Search For Their Loved Ones | Dw Documentary

It's World Cup season in Mexico - yet the spectacle can't hide a dark reality in the country. Over 100,000 people are still listed missing. It's believed many of them have been murdered.

As a World Cup host city, Guadalajara is keen to show it's modern and safe. Yet just a stone's throw from the stadiums lie the mass graves of murder victims. While authorities laud the festive atmosphere and the security measures, locals know these are focused only where the world is watching. Just out of view, daily life is still shaped by fears of kidnapping and enforced disappearances. This documentary follows a women's soccer coach, an activist and a father whose daughter was abducted.

Ever since 2022, when armed men abducted Yessenia from her home, Miguel has been searching for his daughter. For years, alongside raising her young son, he's devoted everything he has to finding answers. Today, he is running out of strength and the financial resources to continue. The investigation is making little progress. Yessenia's former coach, Ernesto, trains local women's and youth teams. In neighborhoods overshadowed by the constant threat of kidnappings, he tries to preserve a fragile sense of normalcy. Many of his players have family members who have been kidnapped or murdered. Héctor's son, too, is among the missing. Now, Héctor has begun coordinating his search with other families. They dig through fields, putting up missing-person posters as quickly as they are torn down. They're forcing the city to confront what it would rather keep hidden. Guadalajara has polished its public image for the World Cup; this film highlights the people who have persevered where the government has failed.

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