Mexican club Leon urges FIFA to reconsider axing it from the Club World Cup
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Leon captain James Rodriguez and coach Eduardo Berizzo urged FIFA on Friday to reconsider booting the Mexican team from the Club World Cup.
Leon was axed last week for failing to comply with regulations regarding multi-club ownership.
Leon and fellow Mexican club Pachuca both qualified but have the same owner, Grupo Pachuca.
“It’s a big injustice,” Rodriguez said at a media conference. “If they leave us out it is not going to be fair and it will be a stain on soccer. There are fans that have bought tickets and are in debt to pay for them. How do you tell them now that they are not going to go?”
Rodriguez, the Golden Boot winner at the 2014 World Cup, signed a one-year deal to play for Leon and one of the reasons was to play in the Club World Cup staged in the United States this summer.
“I’m happy to be here,” Rodriguez said. “Whether or not we play in the Club World Cup does not change the fact that I want to stay here. This is something new for me. I never qualified for a Club World Cup, and weeks before they tell you that you are out. I hope FIFA can do something.”
Leon’s owner Grupo Pachuca has announced it will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport next month.
“The CAS should rule in our favor,” Berizzo said. “We have the right to compete, we did not break any law. The decision is unfair, there is time to fix this.”
FIFA has yet to announce a replacement team but Costa Rican club Liga Deportiva Alajuelense has said it would play. Alajuelense asked FIFA last November to enforce its multi-ownership rules.
“The teams raising their hands for the right to compete in our place should be ashamed of themselves,” Leon midfielder Andres Guardado said.
“It is a brutal injustice. If anyone has done things wrong it is FIFA. Multi-club ownership in Mexico has existed for many years and FIFA still allow us to compete.”
In Mexico, beside Leon and Pachuca, three more companies own two or more clubs in the first division. Grupo Caliente owns Tijuana and Queretaro, while Grupo Orlegi controls Atlas and Santos. TV Azteca owns Mazatlan and has partial ownership of Puebla.
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