Mexican footballer ‘Cata’ Dominguez held an El Chapo themed birthday party for his 12-year-old son. The footballer has faced backlash after his son’s drug trafficking themed party was posted on social media. In the images, kids can be seen wearing caps with Chapiza and JGL, a reference to El Chapo’s full name Joaquín Guzman Loera. The kids are also seen holding fake guns and a sign was placed at the venue for the party which said ‘War Zone.’ Fellow footballers Carlos Rotondi, Carlos Rodríguez, and Erick Lira also attended.

The footballer, who plays for Mexican side Cruz Azul has since apologised for the party. He wrote on Instagram: “I recognize that these do not contribute to creating a better impression of Mexico and that neither I, nor my family, promote or justify any type of violence.”

Outlet MedioTiempo reported fans of Cruz Azul vented their frustration with the player on social media as he appeared to glorify a drug trade that brings a huge amount of violence to Mexico. This comes just days after the arrest of El Chapo’s son Ovidio Guzman which saw 29 people die in the violence surrounding the event.