Pumas and Morelia both played great games in the second leg of the Liguilla semifinals and are worthy finalists. While the accomplishments of these two teams should be celebrated, they have unfortunately been overshadowed by a series of incidents, one uglier than the next, that have left an inexorable stain on Mexican futbol.
The whole mess started after Morelia had put the final nail in Cruz Azul’s coffin. A fan trespassed onto the field, to midfield no less, and thought it would be cute to greet the players. It didn’t take long for the fan to be decked and removed. Unfortunately, the complete absence of stadium security forced Cruz Azul players to enforce the city ordinance, by any means necessary. If you want to know how that went, Cruz Azul’s coach, Enrique Meza said later he was embarrassed by his players actions, and called them bandoleros (bandits).
With tempers already stoked and tension high, a Morelia trainer through jet fuel onto the mess by slapping Cruz Azul’s Waldo Ponce. Said trainer then was on the business end of an unbelievably brutal head-but by Cruz Azul (and starting Mexico) goalkeeper, Jesus Corona.
The calm may have returned to the pitch, but the crazy atmosphere spilled into the stands and the streets. Sure enough, reports of fan violence started to pop up. Sirens were blaring in Morelia all through the night. A Cruz Azul fan was beat to near death.
What about the idiot that started all this? He received his justice. He paid his fine of 30 pesos. A little under $2.50 US. He says he may not root for Cruz Azul anymore.
What’s the next step?
The first step, of course, is to ban at least the next game at the stadium. The FMF bylaws are very explicit in that. But since Morelia is owned by TV Azteca, the chances of that happening are slim to none. So it is no surprise that when the finals schedule was released, Estadio Morelos will indeed be hosting the first leg.
Understand that this is also one of the stadia that will be used in this summer’s U17 World Cup.
So now that FMF has caved on following their own regulation, what should we expect in the form of other sanctions, if any?
Morelia coach, Tomas Boy, should be held accountable for not having control of his own staff.
The Morelia trainer who lost his mind probably has worked his last game in the MFL.
Jesus Corona committed a premeditated assault. He is lucky he is not in jail. I would think that he has put his career, for both club and country, in jeopardy.
And then there is the TV. They showed everything, starting with the idiot running on the pitch. Televisa even extended the moron’s 15 minutes with a post-incident interview, paving the way for more of these imbeciles to do the same.
FMF has a chance to make a statement that none of this will ever be tolerated moving forward. But considering they have already allowed the Morelos to host the first leg, I am going to guess that they will not be making examples out of anyone except themselves, as spineless, empty suits.
After much deliberation, I have decided not to post any video of the incidents. But you can certainly find them yourselves on the youtube.
UPDATE #1 – Jesus Corona has been removed from the national team. Jonathan Orozco will take his place. A little back-bone. Nice.
UPDATE #2
Suspensions have been doled out.
Tomas Boy – 5 games. Fair
Morelia Trainer – 6 games. He got off lightly.
Jesus Corona – 6 games. He is shown mercy. If not a whole season, I was thinking minimum 10 games.
FMF Spine loses a few vertebrae.
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