Argentine Horacio Elizondo, FMF's new remedy for arbitration

Joshua Reyes Samano

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, May 9, 2025, p. a11

The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) continues its search for solutions to the ills of national soccer. As part of a change to the Referee Committee's organizational structure, the federation yesterday announced former Argentine referee Horacio Elizondo, best known for sending off Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 World Cup final in Germany, as the organization's new technical director and instructor. Additionally, Ivar Sisniega, executive president of the FMF, spoke out regarding timeshare ownership in Liga MX, as well as the federation's ongoing follow-up to match-fixing cases.

Elizondo arrives to consolidate the progress we've made so far. He's going to find a united refereeing system, something that wasn't the case a few months ago. We'll have a huge leap forward with him, thanks to his ability and experience. In terms of level, it will be the highest we've had as a technical director of refereeing , commented Juan Manuel Herrero, head of the Referees Commission.

Crisis ruled out

The former Argentine referee was not present at the press conference held at the High Performance Center and is expected to arrive in Mexico next week. Herrero denied that there was a crisis in Mexican refereeing , but that there was much work to be done .

Elizondo, 61, who has been a trainer and instructor in several countries, as well as national director of refereeing in Argentina, Paraguay, and Costa Rica, was a FIFA international referee and is remembered for sending off Zidane in 2006, after headbutting Italian Marco Materazzi in the final. The Argentines join the commission in their second organizational change of the year, following the departures of Armando Archundia and Enrique Osses, who held the position of director of instruction.

“First, they remove Armando Archundia (from the presidency) and leave him in a less important position (head of refereeing delegations and mentoring). They bring in a guy who has no idea about refereeing, and then they fire Fernando Guerrero, perhaps rightly so, but he was a great referee. The commission can function even without a president, but not without an instructor. In Mexico, there aren't any with FIFA status. Elizondo is good, but the most we're going to get is someone at the level of Osses. I said this the other day to a friend from the federation: 'Let's hope the cure isn't worse than the disease,'” former Mexican referee with FIFA badge Arturo Brizio told La Jornada a few months ago.

▲ Elizondo, 61 (pictured), was a FIFA international referee and is remembered for sending off Zinedine Zidane at the 2006 World Cup in Germany for headbutting Italian Marco Materazzi. Photo @fedefutbolcrc

Sisniega also spoke out regarding multi-ownership in Liga MX, an issue that cost León its expulsion from the upcoming Club World Cup, as FIFA prohibits two teams from the same owner from participating.

This issue isn't the reason for the meeting, but as a federation, we're saddened that a club that earned its spot, in this case León, isn't participating. It was difficult to foresee that another team in the same group (Pachuca) would make it, and that's what happened. We're saddened by the fans, but FIFA organizes the tournament, and they also set the rules. It's a topic that has been discussed at the owners' meetings; the vast majority agree that steps should be taken to eliminate timeshares; it remains to be determined how this will be implemented. Those who own more than one club must be given time to sell them under the right conditions , the leader explained.

More severe punishments

In light of recent cases of match manipulation involving players from clubs such as Real Apodaca in the Premier League and Mazatlán in the Mexican Women's First Division, Sisniega stated that he is working on initiatives for more severe punishments.

“The issue of match-fixing is very complicated; we have no indication that it's occurring in Liga MX or in the women's division. What we're analyzing is that the more visible the match, the less likely it is to occur, as betting is monitored. The cases that have been reported are in leagues like the Premier League, which are less widely covered by the media, and have even involved illegal betting houses that aren't openly active in the market.

The legal department is working on what could be a bill, which we would need to discuss with Congress to see how this could move forward, but we want to have a proposal first. We believe that the severity of the punishment can greatly help reduce this type of activity. Football sanctions are very harsh, but if we add the penalty area to that, it has a greater effect.

▲ Manchester United (in red) defeated Athletic Bilbao 7-1 on aggregate to advance to the title match. Meanwhile, Tottenham edged Bodo/Glimt of Norway. Photo: AFP

Ap

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, May 9, 2025, p. a11

Manchester. For Manchester United or Tottenham, a miserable domestic campaign will end with Europa League glory.

Despite both teams sitting below mid-table in the Premier League, they are one win away from qualifying for the Champions League.

That's the reward available on the pitch after the two struggling English clubs advanced to the final of Europe's second-largest competition on Thursday.

United beat Athletic Bilbao 4-1 in the second leg of their semi-final at Old Trafford and won 7-1 on aggregate.

Tottenham, meanwhile, triumphed 2-0 against Bodo/Glimt in a match played in northern Norway to seal a 5-1 aggregate victory.

The Europa League will have an all-English final for the second time in six years, after Chelsea beat Arsenal to lift the trophy in 2019. The title decider will be on May 21 at the San Mamés stadium in Bilbao.

The winner, in addition to winning the title, will take a ticket to the next Champions League .

In the Conference League, the third most important international tournament in Europe, Chelsea advanced to the final after beating Sweden's Djurgarden 1-0 (5-1 on aggregate).

The Blues will face Real Betis. The Seville club drew and survived extra time to win 4-3 on aggregate against Fiorentina.

In this way, the English club remains on course to become the first club to win every major European competition. They have won the Champions League (2012 and 2021), the Europa League (2013 and 2019), the Cup Winners' Cup (1971 and 1998), and the Super Cup (1998 and 2021). The final will be held on May 28 in Wroclaw, Poland.

▲ The Coliseum will make history by becoming the first venue in the world to host three Olympic Games, having previously hosted the 1932 and 1984 Games. AP Photo

▲ SoFi will offer attendees its cutting-edge technological development. Photo: SoFi Stadium

AFP

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, May 9, 2025, p. a12

Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium will host the opening ceremony of the 2028 Olympic Games, a celebration that will be held in two venues for the first time, the organizers of the summer games announced.

Los Angeles 2028 unveiled plans for its opening ceremony on July 14, 2028, which will blend history and innovation.

History, because the iconic coliseum will be the first venue in the world to host three Olympic Games, and innovation, due to the technological development boasted by SoFi, home of the Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers of the NFL, a sport that will debut at the event.

Organizers will not refer to the SoFi venue by its sponsored name, simply calling it The Inglewood Arena.

The venues selected for the 2028 opening and closing ceremonies will highlight Los Angeles' rich sports history and its forward-thinking future , said LA28 President Casey Wasserman.

These two extraordinary venues will create an unforgettable experience for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. They will go down in history as the most incredible , he added.

In addition to hosting the opening ceremony, the Coliseum will also be the venue for the closing ceremony on July 30, 2028. Opened in 1923, it previously hosted the 1932 and 1984 Olympic Games.

The opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games will take place at SoFi on August 15, 2028, and the closing ceremony will take place at the Coliseum on August 27.

Today's announcement marks a proud milestone. For more than a century, the Coliseum has been an iconic venue, hosting some of the most iconic moments in sports history , said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

Track and field, the most important event of the Olympics, will be held at the Coliseum, while swimming, another of the most anticipated sports, will be held at SoFi.

For the first time in history, the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games will have more women than men, due to a change in the competition program. The number of spots for female athletes (5,655) will exceed that for men (5,543). Of the 351 medal events, 161 will be for women, 165 for men, and 25 for mixed-gender athletes.

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, May 9, 2025, p. a12

Mexican baseball players Ismael Rocket Valdez and Jorge de la Rosa, who played several seasons in the Major Leagues, lead the class that will be inducted into the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame in Monterrey later this year.

The list, which was released yesterday by the Mexican Baseball League (LMB), also includes Francisco Campos, Roberto Metralleta Ramírez, Roberto Saucedo, and Óscar Robles, who were selected in the national baseball player category.

Likewise, Enrique Mazón Rubio was recognized as the best manager for his outstanding career with the Naranjeros de Hermosillo, where he served as chairman of the board for 38 years, during which time the team won nine Pacific League titles and the 2014 Caribbean Series.

Valdez and de la Rosa were drafted into the Major League Baseball category for Mexicans. Valdez debuted in the league in 1994 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, winning a total of 104 games. He also played for the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, and Florida Marlins. While in Mexico, he played for the Quintana Roo Tigers.

De la Rosa, for his part, played 15 seasons in the Major Leagues. With the Colorado Rockies, he achieved 86 wins, the most ever for a pitcher in that franchise. He made his American League debut in 2004 with the Milwaukee Brewers, and has also played for the Kansas City Royals, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Chicago Cubs.

Strikeout leader

Campos also played 25 seasons in the LMB, most of them with the Campeche Pirates, a team with which he won 200 games and became the all-time leader in strikeouts, with 2,183. He was also a member of the Mazatlán Venados, the Hermosillo Naranjeros, and the Culiacán Tomateros.

Ramírez, who played for the San Diego Padres in the Major Leagues, excelled as a pitcher with the Diablos Rojos of Mexico, where he earned more than 150 wins.

Along with Campos, he was part of the Mexican national team that competed in the first World Baseball Classic.

Saucedo hit more than 250 home runs and surpassed 1,000 RBIs in the LMB. He was also a key player in the Sultanes de Monterrey's 2007 championship, the year in which he was named the King's Series Most Valuable Player.

Meanwhile, Robles, who also played in the Major Leagues with the Dodgers and the Padres, excelled in the LMB with the Oaxaca Warriors, the Diablos Rojos of Mexico, and the Tijuana Bulls, with whom he retired as a champion. In the Pacific League, he played for the Algodoneros de Guasave, the Mayos de Navojoa, the Águilas de Mexicali, and the Tomateros de Culiacán.

▲ Sebastián Santos, a player from La Fiera, scored his team's first goal. Photo by AFP

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, May 9, 2025, p. a31

Cruz Azul got off to a good start in the Clausura 2025 playoffs after beating León 3-2 in the first leg of the quarterfinals, played yesterday at the Nou Camp stadium in León, Guanajuato.

The Sky Blues opened the scoring in the 14th minute when Ignacio Rivero took advantage of goalkeeper Óscar Jiménez's loose ball in the box after saving his initial shot, to counterattack and make it 1-0.

While La Máquina fans were still celebrating the goal, Andrés Montaño surprised with a left-footed shot to extend the lead (2-0) in the 19th minute.

The Emeralds, who were without their star player James Rodriguez, reduced the deficit in the 29th minute after Andrés Guardado sent a cross into the box that was connected by Sebastián Santos to make it 2-1.

In the 41st minute, Montaño again invaded the opposing goal with a powerful cross shot, giving Cruz Azul a comfortable 3-1 lead at halftime.

The Panzas Verdes made it 3-2 in the second half thanks to a goal from Iván Moreno in the 46th minute; however, things got complicated in the 51st minute when Adonis Frías was sent off for a foul in the box. Although they created danger throughout the rest of the match, they were unable to salvage a draw.

On the other hand, it was reported that a León fan suffered a burn on his arm from the fireworks used to welcome the team.