The recent elimination of Mexico’s soccer teams from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in men and women, and being excluded from the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Men’s Under-20 World Cup was the trigger for heads to roll in the soccer loving country.
These failures in a nation where football is the national passion, and above all big business, provoked a scathing media campaign of criticism while exacerbating the displeasure of the fans and the discomfort of the club owners.
At the same time, smaller and poorer countries such as the Dominican Republic and Haiti made history with their World Cup qualifications, the first with their youth to the U20 World Cup and the second with their women’s team to the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The Dominicans have also punched their Olympic ticket for Paris 2024 for the first time.
The Mexican elimination from the Olympic Games hurts the supporters of the team after they won the gold medal in London 2012 and the bronze in Tokyo 2020. For the women’s team, with the absence of Paris 2024, it will be 20 years since their last presence in Athens 2004 .
So the announcement a few hours ago by the Mexican Football Federation (FMF), unexpectedly, impacted the world of sports, as dismissal of several managers who were looking ahead to when Mexico plays host of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, along with Canada and the U.S.
The most significant dismissal was that of former soccer player Gerardo Torrado, general sports director of the FMF, and the person in charge of leading the Mexican project in the World Cup in Qatar in four months.
Ignacio Hierro, sports director of national teams, was also removed from office. Hierro arrived in 2019, and accompanied the team to Tokyo 2020.
The coaches also received drastic measures. Luis Pérez had to leave the technical direction because he failed with the under-20 team by not qualifying for the 2023 Indonesia World Cup and Paris 2024 after being eliminated by Guatemala in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF World Cup.
It was expected the FMF would also dismiss Mónica Vergara when in the CONCACAF Women’s Championship played at home in Monterrey, the Mexicans were eliminated as the second worst team in the tournament. They lost all their games and did not score a goal while conceding five.
In the case of Vergara, the first Mexican coach to assume the position of the senior women’s team, the Mexican Federation said that “her position will be under analysis by the new sports management in the Federation.”
It is still unknown who will be the new helmsmen who will take over the leadership of the national team structure just four months before the World Cup and one month before the Women’s Under-20 World Cup where Mexico will participate
The senior Mexican team commanded by Argentine coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino was not affected despite losing the final of the Nations League and Gold Cup against the United States last year. They easily qualified for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, finishing ahead of their rivals to the north.
In Qatar, Mexico will debut on Tuesday, November 22 against Robert Lewandowski’s Poland, on Saturday the 26th they will play against Lionel Messi’s Argentina and on Wednesday the 30th against Saudi Arabia. After the World Cup we will see what happens with “Tata” Martino.
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