Leon captain James Rodriguez has criticized FIFA for their decision to exclude his team from the Club World Cup.
Rodriguez called FIFA’s decision a serious injustice, claiming that the governing body has tarnished football.
As a reminder, Leon was drawn into Group D alongside Chelsea, Brazil’s Flamengo, and Tunisia’s Esperance de Tunis when the tournament draw was made last December. However, FIFA recently removed Leon from the competition, which is set to begin in June.
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The decision to exclude Leon was based on a breach of FIFA’s regulations regarding multi-club ownership. Both Leon and Liga MX rivals CF Pachuca are owned by Grupo Pachuca, and their participation was challenged due to shared ownership.
Last week, it was reported that Leon would be replaced by Costa Rican club Alajuelense, while Pachuca would remain in the tournament.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of his team’s match against Pumas UNAM on Monday, Rodriguez told reporters: “I think it is a grave injustice. We all believe that. We won on the pitch. The club and the players are hurt by this. If we’re out, it’s not fair. The team that would replace us would be stained, football would be stained. It’s odd. I think FIFA needs to get their act together. Football is stained by this.”
Rodriguez joined Leon in January on a one-year deal.
