'Something is wrong' - América coach André Jardine denounces multi-club ownership in Mexican football after León's official expulsion from Club World Cup

After León’s official removal from the Club World Cup for failing to comply with the tournament’s multi-ownership regulations, FIFA announced that América and LAFC will play a match for the vacant spot, scheduled for May 31 at BMO Stadium, according to sources.

Ahead of América’s quarterfinal first leg against Pachuca, André Jardine addressed the issue of multi-ownership in Mexican football - the reason León was expelled from the tournament. Grupo Pachuca owns both León and the Tuzos, which Jardine said is something that should not be allowed.

"It’s a decision made by an institution with full global responsibility, like FIFA," said the América coach. "If these decisions are being made, it’s because something is wrong. We need to take a closer look at the issue of multi-ownership. I really don’t think it’s right for one group to own two clubs in such an important league like the Mexican one. I don’t think there’s another major league where this happens - one group owning two teams,”

Jardine emphasized that FIFA has the authority to make these decisions and that if something is wrong, it must be corrected. The issue of multi-ownership has sparked debate in recent years. Currently, six Liga MX clubs are involved: León and Pachuca under Grupo Pachuca; Querétaro and Xolos under Grupo Caliente; and Puebla and Mazatlán FC under TV Azteca.

Jardine also said that both Pachuca and León have previously benefited from shared ownership, pointing to the start of this tournament as an example.

"This creates - or can create - problems within the competition," Jardine said. "For example, León and Pachuca were supposed to face each other in Matchday 1, but that was barely discussed. We had to play the first two rounds with our U23 team because no club wanted to reschedule their first game.

"León and Pachuca didn’t play the first match, they arranged not to, and with that, they got 10 more days of preseason than the rest of the league. Look at how León and Pachuca started the tournament - these small details make a difference."

For some time now, it had already been speculated that América and LAFC would face off for that spot - FIFA even said so before the ruling from the CAS. Now that it’s official, the news is a boost for both América and LAFC.

The winner will be placed in Group D alongside Chelsea, Flamengo, and Turkey’s Esperance.

"The institution has been very well-organized for many years. They’ve had strong tournaments, and I see them as a great representative of Mexican football in any match and any competition. We’re going to rise to the occasion and represent Mexican football well - that’s the most important thing in moments like this," he said regarding the opportunity granted by FIFA to face LAFC por the final Club World Cup spot.

Las Águilas will visit the Tuzos on Wednesday for the first leg of the Liguilla quarterfinals. The return leg will be played next Saturday at Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes, home of the Azulcremas.