El Tri player in hot water after throwing narco-themed party for son's 12th birthday

Mexican international and Cruz Azul defender Julio César Domínguez ("Cata") has gone viral after several photos of his 12-year-old son came to light. What's the fuss about the images? They show he threw the kid a narco-themed birthday celebration.

Yikes!

People were quick to criticize Domínguez online, calling him out for trying to glorify and praise criminal organizations that are responsible for tens of thousands of deaths around Mexico every year. 

And what infuriated people the most was that the party was just hours after narco bands terrorized the state of Sinaloa in response to a government operation that ended with the arrest of Ovidio Guzmán, the son of infamous drug capo Chapo Guzmán. 

The unleashed violence even forced the suspension of a Liga MX game between Mazatlán and Club León.

Cata Domínguez throws narco-themed birthday party

The photos appeared on Instagram Stories and showed other players participating in the party, with Carlos Rodríguez, Erik Lira, Chilean Iván Morales and Argentine Carlos Rotondi among them. 

Me gustaría que fuera un meme o fake news pero no, es real.

Cata Domínguez le organizo una fiesta a su hijo con temática del narco.

Mi México mágico. pic.twitter.com/wofc2MRmzO

— Tio Faitelson ®️ (@PutazoFaitelson) January 8, 2023

However, the most horrific image is the one in which you can see a group of kids posing with plastic guns and hats, revering narco cartels. In case you don't know, "JGL" are the initials of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, the Chapo Guzmán, while "Chapiza" is a term for the army of young assassins that work for Los Chapitos, the capo's children. 

Fans and media reacted angrily to Cata Domínguez's actions. A few of them even asked Cruz Azul to terminate his contract. 

Lo del Cata Domínguez es indefendible.

La Liga lo debe de suspender.

Y no entiendo qué sigue haciendo en el Club. Si lo del campo ya era una invitación a emigrar, la temática de la fiesta hace trizas la puerta de salida.

— Paco Villa (@Paco_Villa_) January 8, 2023

The player eventually apologized for the party in a brief statement: "I admit (the photos) don't contribute to creating a good image of Mexico and not me or my family promote or justify any violence."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Julio Cesar Dominguez (@catadominguez04)

Cruz Azul and Liga MX have not spoken about the subject so far, but according to the sports outlet Mediotiempo, the disciplinary committee of the tournament is already investigating the case and considering sanctions. 

Liga MX's code of ethics says players should "maintain neutrality on political issues and avoid actions that cause violence among fans."

Any rule violation will have sanctions that could be a warning, community service, a fine, temporal suspension or being completely banned from the Mexican soccer system.