Posted by In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mexican soccer authorities formalized the elimination of the second division, also known as the Ascenso MX. As a result, promotion and relegation in Mexico will be eliminated for the next six years. Meanwhile, the newly formed Liga de Desarrollo (Development League) will replace the Ascenso MX.
The decision has captured international attention and received widespread criticism. However, the dissolution of the Ascenso MX joins a long list of scandals in Mexican soccer. Here is a list of the biggest scandals of the 21st century:
Mapaches Disaffiliated
Drug trafficking has been a major problem in Mexico for decades, with various cartels fighting for a piece of an industry that generates a reported $24 billion a year. In an effort to stop the extreme violence caused by the cartels, President Felipe Calderón declared war on drug trafficking in Mexico in December 2006.
Instead of making the country safer, the war on drug trafficking raised the bloodshed to unprecedented levels. More than 250,000 people have been killed as a result of the war, with an additional 61,000 missing. The murder rate of 10.89 per 100,000 residents in 2006 has more than doubled, and reached an all-time high with 27 homicides per 100,000 residents in 2019.
Unfortunately, soccer has been caught in the middle of the struggle between the cartels and the Mexican government for control of the country. On October 8th, 2008, second division side Mapaches de Nueva Italia traveled to Mexico City for a match against a Club América youth team. Following the match, seven Mapaches directors and players, including club owner Wenceslao “El Wencho” Álvarez, were detained by federal authorities. Álvarez was accused of drug trafficking and laundering money for La Familia Michoacana, a powerful cartel in Mapaches’ home state of Michoacán. Mapaches was disaffiliated from the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) less than two weeks later, and Álvarez was eventually extradited to the United States in 2017.
Omar Ortiz Linked to Organized Crime
As the Mapaches case indicates, organized crime and soccer in Mexico are intertwined. Another example of this disheartening connection came a few years after the arrest of Wenceslao Álvarez, when Monterrey goalkeeper Omar Ortiz was arrested and charged with kidnapping.
After debuting in 1997 with Monterrey, Ortiz made almost 300 professional appearances with a host of Liga MX clubs. He even received a cap for Mexico, playing against Guatemala at the 2002 Gold Cup. However, his career was effectively ended in 2010 when he received a two-year ban after testing positive for anabolic steroids.
Two years later, Ortiz continued to make headlines for the wrong reasons. In January 2012, “El Gato” was arrested for forming part of a kidnapping cell for the powerful Gulf Cartel. Ortiz was accused of suggesting potential kidnapping targets and passing on valuable information about those people to the cell. After his arrest, “El Gato” spent seven years in prison before his sentence was finally handed down. Although he maintained his innocence, Ortiz was sentenced to 75 years in prison for three kidnappings, in what is hopefully the first and only time a former Mexican international is convicted of such horrific crimes.
Cruz Azul Eliminated From Clausura 2007
In December 2015, Real Madrid was the subject of international ridicule after their early elimination from the Copa del Rey for fielding the ineligible Dennis Cheryshev. Barcelona was lucky to avoid the same fate in the 2018-19 edition of the tournament after they played suspended center-back Chumi in their round of 16 first leg against Levante.
If two of the world’s most famous clubs can make basic administrative errors, any club can. However, Cruz Azul’s decision to field the ineligible Salvador Carmona against Pachuca in 2007 was inexcusable given the reason for Carmona’s ineligibility: he had just received a lifetime suspension for repeated use of anabolic steroids.
A long-time Mexican international who played at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, Carmona tested positive for nandrolone during the 2005 Confederations Cup. As a result, Carmona was suspended for a year by the World Anti-Doping Agency. While still serving his suspension, Carmona tested positive again, this time for stanozolol.
Carmona appealed the second positive test, which carried a lifetime ban, to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. While the appeal was ongoing, Carmona was a regular starter for Cruz Azul during the Apertura 2006 and Clausura 2007 campaigns. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled against Carmona on May 16, 2007, one day before the first leg of the Clausura 2007 Liguilla semifinal between Cruz Azul and Pachuca.
Even though Carmona was now suspended for life, Cruz Azul directors filed a judicial protection in Mexican courts before the match so Carmona could play. Manager Isaac Mizrahi subsequently started the defender in the 3-1 loss to Los Tuzos. However, the judicial protection did not hold up, and Pachuca advanced automatically to the final without even contesting the second leg.
Salvador Cabañas Shooting
A burly, powerful center-forward, Cabañas had established himself as one of the continent’s best players heading into 2010. He had scored more than 100 league goals in Mexico after signing for Jaguares in 2003, and was the star player at national powerhouse Club América. At the international level, he was the captain of a Paraguay side that had stamped their ticket to South Africa 2010 in impressive fashion, finishing 3rd in the grueling South American qualifiers. Cabañas’ talent caught the eye of Manchester United, who had a pre-contract agreement in place for “El Mariscal” to join them following the World Cup.
Cabañas was at the peak of his powers, and on the cusp of reaching international stardom. However, those dreams were cruelly shattered the night of January 25th, 2010. On a night out with his wife and brother-in-law at exclusive Mexico City nightclub Bar-Bar, Cabañas was shot in the head after going to the bathroom at around 6 AM. The perpetrator was José Jorge “JJ” Balderas Garza, a drug trafficker for the feared Beltrán Leyva cartel.
Miraculously, Cabañas survived the shooting, and was able to return home after four months at different hospitals and treatment centers. Nevertheless, the attack effectively ended his career at 29. He never played again for América or Paraguay, and made only two appearances for hometown club Doce de Octubre in 2012. After another attempted comeback in 2014 at Brazilian minnows Club Deportivo Tanabí was aborted after just one friendly match, Cabañas officially announced his retirement.
The shooting also had a profound effect on Cabañas’ personal life. He eventually declared bankruptcy, and his wife divorced him. These days, Cabañas is living in his childhood home in Itauguá, Paraguay and working as an assistant coach for local second division club Aquiadaban. Although “JJ” received a 20-year prison sentence in 2019, the punishment does not compensate for Cabanas’ tragic fall.
Ricardo La Volpe and the Podiatrist
Given the importance of the feet to a soccer player, podiatrists play a key, if unglamorous, role for many professional clubs. Unlike team doctors, who are often seen attending to injured players during matches, the work of a team podiatrist is done completely behind the scenes. Nevertheless, Chivas podiatrist Alma Belén Coronado became famous in Mexico during the spring of 2014, albeit as the alleged victim of a shameful incident involving one of the country’s most respected coaches.
On April 1st, 2014, Ricardo La Volpe was presented as the new Chivas manager. La Volpe’s reputation had fallen since he led Mexico to the round of 16 at the 2006 World Cup, so his hire midway through the Clausura 2014 was surprising. Nevertheless, “El Bigotón” had a golden chance to revive his career if he could lift Chivas from 10th place into a Liguilla spot.
Ultimately, La Volpe blew his opportunity at one of Mexico’s biggest clubs, and was fired less than a month into his tenure amidst a sexual assault scandal involving Coronado. According to the podiatrist, La Volpe came into her office one day with just a towel on and made sexual advances before trying to take her clothes off and force himself on her. La Volpe denied the accusations, saying that he had gone into Coronado’s office, but fully clothed and only to ask her not to use arnica to treat the players.
With sexual assault charges still pending, La Volpe had no problem finding another job, and was hired by Jaguares in July 2015. After receiving his dismissal in June 2016, La Volpe was contracted for a second spell at the helm of Club América, Chivas’ bitter rival. The sexual assault case against La Volpe was dropped a few months into his tenure at América, and a second arrest warrant was blocked by a federal judge in 2018. Even though his innocence was eventually proven in court, the fact that two first division clubs hired La Volpe before that judgment was handed down is reprehensible.
Renato Ibarra Arrested
Before the COVID-19 outbreak, the rising violence against women dominated the headlines in Mexico. A string of feminicides, including the brutal rape and murder of seven-year-old Fátima Cecilia Aldrighett Antón, sparked public outrage. The discontent was channeled into massive demonstrations on International Women’s Day and the observance the following day of the first “Un día sin mujeres” (A day without women), where Mexican women organized a nationwide work stoppage.
Around the same time, an incident involving América winger Renato Ibarra underlined Mexico’s gender equality problem. Ibarra was arrested on March 5th and accused of attempted feminicide, attempted abortion and aggravated family violence against his wife, Lucely Chalá. Although video was released of the brutal assault, the attempted feminicide and attempted abortion charges were dropped after Chalá retracted her previous statements describing the attack.
Ibarra was subsequently released from jail on March 12. However, he is not allowed to leave Mexico and must present himself in court every 30 days. On the day of Ibarra’s release, América announced that the Ecuadorian would never play another game for them. Yet, they did not release Ibarra, and hope to sell the attacker for at least $5 million in the summer transfer window. Despite his ongoing legal issues, more than half the league’s teams have been linked with Ibarra as a possible landing place. If Liga MX wants to support gender equality in Mexico, ensuring Ibarra never plays in the country again would demonstrate their commitment to the cause.
Veracruz Disappear
Lamentably, clubs failing to pay their players and coaches on time is a reoccurring theme in Mexican soccer. Between 2013 and 2016, six Liga MX clubs fell behind on payments to players and coaches. One of those sides, Jaguares de Chiapas, was disaffiliated in June 2017 for debts to players and coaches. However, the financial issues at Veracruz in 2018 and 2019 were more serious, as they laid bare the depth of corruption and incompetence among Mexican soccer administrators.
The problems began in August 2018. Veracruz head coach Guillermo Vázquez resigned over unpaid salaries to him and his coaching staff, with reports suggesting that owner Fidel Kuri had not paid them in three months. In April 2019, Veracruz were docked six points by FIFA after failing to pay Uruguayan club Montevideo Wanderers for the formation rights to midfielder Matías Santos. After consecutive last-placed finishes in the Apertura 2018 and Clausura 2019, Veracruz was relegated to the second division.
However, Mexico is the only country where relegation does not really mean relegation. In March 2018, Liga MX officials approved a plan to abolish relegation for the next two years, citing the need to improve the infrastructure of second division clubs to make them worthy of a spot in the top division. Instead of descending to the second division, the last-placed team in Liga MX could pay $6.4 million to stay up. Even though Veracruz had outstanding debts to players and coaches of up to three months, they were allowed to pay the $6.4 million fee to keep their spot in Liga MX for 2019-20.
The decision to let Kuri pay the $6.4 million quickly came back to bite the league. In mid-October, Veracruz players threatened to not take the field for a league match against Tigres over unpaid salaries of up to six months. Multiple players left the club before the end of the season after reaching economic agreements with club directors. Although Veracruz finished the campaign, they were disaffiliated on December 4 during a Mexican Football Federation (FMF) general assembly. While the FMF managed to rid themselves of the constant headaches Kuri caused them, the loyal fans of Veracruz suffered the greatest punishment.
Osmar Donizete Joins Tigres
For a short time, February 26, 2000 was one of the best days in Tigres history. That day, the team recorded a convincing 6-3 win at fierce local rivals Monterrey in the 61st edition of the Clásico Regiomontano. At the time, the result was the most lopsided win for either side in an official match between the two. However, there was just one problem for Los Felinos: they had fielded an ineligible player.
On January 14, 2000, Tigres signed Brazilian forward Osmar Donizete from Vasco da Gama for $3 million. Donizete already had experience in Mexico from his time at Estudiantes Tecos, who he represented from 1991 to 1995. Almost immediately after the transfer, Celaya President Enrique Fernández complained of suspicious contractual dealings. According to Fernández, Celaya had an agreement in place with Donizete in December 1999 for the Brazilian to play with Los Cajeteros.
In response, the Mexican Football Federation created a commission to investigate the case. Meanwhile, Donizete made his debut in round 4 of the Verano 2000 tournament against Chivas, and played in the back-to-back victories over Atlante and Toluca. Three days before the match against Monterrey, the commission concluded that Donizete’s signature on his Tigres contract was falsified. Forensic investigators believed that the falsified signature was copied from a contract Donizete signed with Tecos in 1994, which had been kept at Mexican Football Federation headquarters.
These findings implicated Tigres President Enrique Borja, who was also President of the Mexican Football Federation. In the midst of the controversy, Borja assured Tigres coach Víctor Manuel Vucetich that Donizete could be fielded for the match against Monterrey. The Brazilian started and scored in the 6-3 victory, which, along with the Atlante and Toluca matches, were voided and ordered to be replayed. The Clásico rematch was a drab 0-0 draw, and Donizete never scored an official goal for Tigres in his ten matches with the club. Borja, meanwhile, stayed on as Mexican Football Federation President after his resignation was rejected by 17 of the 18 Liga MX clubs.
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