MEXICO CITY (AP) — Uruguayan midfielder Nicolás Fonseca was robbed and his truck was stolen near his Mexican club Leon.
The club on Friday said Fonseca was not harmed and was training with the team. It did not specify the date of the robbery.
The 24-year-old Fonseca is in his first season in Mexico after playing for River Plate in Argentina.
According to Leon, the robbery occurred on a highway between Leon and the state of Jalisco, near the club training facilities.
“Nico is fine and trains regularly along with his teammates getting ready for tomorrow’s match,” the team said in a statement.
Leon hosts Tijuana on Saturday in the Mexican Clausura.
Guanajuato state prosecutor’s office said it was collaborating with Jalisco authorities to find the perpetrators.
Local media reported Fonseca was kidnapped and abandoned in a remote area, but the team denied that happened.
“We ask not to pay attention to rumors or to divulge fake news about issues as delicate as this,” Leon said.
The city of Leon is in the central state of Guanajuato, an industrial and agricultural center, which for years has had the highest number of homicides of any of the 32 states of Mexico. The Jalisco cartel and the local Santa Rosa de Lima criminal organization have been in a turf battle in the state for years.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Carlos Rodriguez, The Associated Press
