MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican club León was excluded on Friday from the Club World Cup after FIFA’s appeals committee ruled that the participation criteria were not met by breaking the regulation that prohibits team multiproperty.
The Pachuca Group owns both León and Pachuca, and both have qualified for the tournament that will be held in the United States in the middle of the year after being consecrated in recent editions of the CONCACAF Champions League.
What were the reasons given by FIFA?
“After evaluating all the evidence in the file, the president of the FIFA Appeals Committee has decided that CF Pachuca and Club León did not meet the criteria regarding the ownership of multiple clubs,” FIFA reported in a statement."
The Pachuca Group argued that, although they have the same ownership, the clubs operate independently. They promised to sell León, but they haven’t done so yet.
With an eye on the World Cup, León recently signed Colombian midfielder James Rodríguez.
According to the draw, the Mexican team had been placed in Group D, alongside Flamengo from Brazil, Chelsea from England, and Esperance Sportive from Tunisia.
FIFA announced that the replacement for León in the tournament will be revealed at a later date.
The team that replaces León will have to make its debut on June 16 against Chelsea, in Atlanta.
According to the ranking criteria and association limits, the invited team could be the Philadelphia Union from the MLS or Liga Deportiva Alajuelense from Costa Rica.