'I would be ashamed to go to the Club World Cup if I didn’t earn it' - Leon's Andrés Guardado criticizes teams trying to take club's spot

Club León’s expulsion from the Club World Cup for violating the tournament’s multi-ownership rule has become one of the most high-profile cases in Mexican football. The Guanajuato-based club is set to appear before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on April 23 to appeal the decision and determine whether they will be allowed to participate. Meanwhile, several teams - América, Tigres, and Costa Rica’s Alajuelense - have emerged as potential replacements.

Andrés Guardado, a Mexican football legend and current León player, criticized the teams positioning themselves to take León’s place in the tournament, which will be held this summer in the United States:

"The teams that are raising their hands to go to the Club World Cup, with what face are they going to say, 'I deserve to go,' if they also had the chance to qualify for a CONCACAF Champions Cup and win it? It was the same opportunity that León and Pachuca had,": Guardado said. "Honestly, I would be ashamed to go if I didn’t earn it on the field."

Guardado explained, in his point of view, there are gaps in the competition regulations, arguing that "multi-ownership has existed" for "many years" and not just in Mexican football.

"I find it a brutal injustice, and for me, if someone did things wrong, it's FIFA, not León, because the issue of multi-ownership exists. Grupo Pachuca, how long has it been around? Many years," Guardado said. "Pachuca and León participate in a tournament sanctioned by FIFA, and they don't inform Grupo Pachuca that, if both their teams qualify, one won't be able to participate, and on top of that, they create a rule afterwards that says they can't be involved."

Leon's star No. 10 James Rodriguez agreed with Guardado's assessment, saying, "It's a huge injustice, not just for me, but for all of us here. As the coach says, we've earned every right on the field. We're a bit hurt by all these things, and I think if we are out, it's something that isn't fair."

He added, "The team that goes in will go in tainted, it’s not fair for a club that has done great things, especially for all the people who have bought things. How do you tell the fans they're not going? Who gives them all of that? The interest goes beyond many things, like León being out. I have doubts about all these things, it's strange, and I believe there's a big interest in having someone else there. I have doubts and football is being tainted."

While this case is being resolved, León is also focused on winning the Liga MX championship, where they currently sit in second place with 26 points, just one point behind América. Guardado and Rodríguez's team will return to action this Sunday after the FIFA break to host Efraín Juárez's Pumas in Matchday 13.