▲ Yon de Luisa, head of the FMF, pointed out that what happened in Qatar was very serious
And they don’t want to make hasty decisions.Photo @miseleccionmx
Alberto Aceves
Sent
Newspaper La Jornada
Wednesday, February 1, 2023, p. a10
Toluca, Mex., Sixty-three days after Mexico’s elimination in the World Cup, the conference room of the Mexican Soccer Federation (FMF) was like a carousel that rotated at a thousand frames per second. In the corridors they talked about everything that was at stake with the reappearance of Yon de Luisa, president of the organization; of the great sports implications of the new process towards the 2026 Cup and what could come to light about the appointment of a national coach.
Being a high-profile affair in the future of Mexican soccer, De Luisa seemed serious, but calm. He greeted dozens of reporters with camaraderie and seemed unfazed by the lenses that watched his every move. What happened (at the World Cup) was something very serious.
, he said with a firm voice, listing a series of mistakes that were made during the Gerardo Martino cycle; among them, the lack of open communication with the clubs, a coaching staff that knew the national player in depth and the few active minutes of the youngest.
Within the change measures, De Luisa officially announced the creation of a National Team Committee, made up of the owners of the clubs América (Emilio Azcárraga), Guadalajara (Amaury Vergara), Santos (Alejandro Irarragorri), Necaxa (Ernesto Tinajero ) and Tijuana (Jorgealberto Hank), who will be in charge of appointing the new coach of the Tri the next week. The FMF decided not to make public the identities of the coaches who were interviewed by Rodrigo Ares de Parga, now in charge of the executive area of the national representatives.
The delay, explained De Luisa, is a reflection of the difficulties that exist in finding the right profile. The Committee considered that Ares de Parga has that management capacity, which can push the projects of Jaime Ordiales and Andrea Rodebaugh in sports directions. The refusal of Jesús Martínez, president of Grupo Pachuca, to sit at the same table as the rest did not contribute to this initiative. It was a great opportunity to contribute all together. I would love for Jesus to be part of this Committee one day
.
From the meetings that were held last week, it is known that Miguel Herrera and the Uruguayan Guillermo Almada are the strongest candidates, although now Ignacio Ambriz is also joining. There is no deadline to designate the coach of the team
insisted the highest-ranking man in Femexfut. We want to go for the best. We are pressed for time, but I would not see an interim. There is a lot at stake for the decision to be made once and for all
.
Reforms in the tournament
On one side of the table, the president of the Mx League, Mikel Arriola, followed the details of the conference with a smiling gesture. He at times raised his eyebrows after hearing some questions related to the ascent and descent, but he almost always kept his sanity. He reported that he will present a series of reforms to eliminate the repechage, reduce the number of foreigners from 10 to seven elements, and create a long tournament with two leagues that will also reward the best team of the year
In this way, Arriola explained, two trophies and a prize will be awarded to the participant with the most accumulated points. Although the League plan proposes the return of promotion and relegation in 2026, the manager warned that today the majority are not economically sustainable, they do not have infrastructure and this does not match the demand of the Liga Mx, with the exception of the UdeG
. Other points to be discussed in the assembly will be the export of Mexican players to Europe, with an investment from the FMF, and future rules for the extinction of timeshare.
We have been talking for 60 days and there is a grand opening of the owners
he commented, looking sideways at De Luisa. We have the vote of confidence. Between now and May, the reforms should be reflected in better football
.
While everything revolved around him, the president of the FMF swiped a pen with his right hand and behaved like a man endorsed by the high command of national football. Before concluding the expected report, he highlighted the return of Mexico to the Copa América, the participation in a Final Four type tournament with the first places in the Concacaf Champions League, Copa Libertadores and South America, as well as the possibility of facing Germany next October.
