Article by Maria Olteanu – published Wednesday, 07 May 2025, 14:58 / Updated Wednesday, 07 May 2025 14:58
Mexican Club's call to play at the World Club Championship was rejectedThe Sports Arbitration Court (TAS) in Lausanne confirming the FIFA decision, a heavy blow for the legendary James Rodriguez.
FIFA has excluded the Leon Club in the competition, because it has the same property structure as another Mexican club, Pachuca, to avoid conflict of interest. It is for the first time that this happens, according to Sportal.blic.rs.
Leon qualified for the US tour winning the Concacaf Champions League in 2023, a year before the Pachuca club, but will not be able to participate.
Revolt after the final decision made by FIFA
Therefore, for the last place will face the American and Los Angeles FC Mexican team in the dam, the winner will play in the group with Chelsea, Espérance de Tunis and Flamego.
Club Leon issued an official statement confirming his final decision regarding the participation in the World Championship of FIFA 2025 clubs.
This statement ends the speculation about James Rodríguez and a team. James's dream of playing at the FIFA 2025 World Clubs championship was shattered after Club Leon has officially announced that he will not participate in the inaugural edition of the tournament. The decision was made after weeks of speculation.
In a statement published on social networks, Club Leon stressed that their intention to compete has never been financially motivated, but by the desire to perform sports.
“As an institution, we accept the costs and consequences of such a process, but the most affected are our supporters: our fans and players deserved more respect from an organization who claims to promote sport. From the beginning, in this case, there was no sports principle”, is shown in the statement.
Club Leon also accused the institutions that made the decision to withdraw from the tournament and want to fight for their honor.
“For Club Leon, participating in the World Club Championship has never been a matter of power or money. We fought to the end to be there, because, as a sports organization, we aspire to the glory that can only be won, defended and deserved on the ground.
The money comes and goes, time can recover, the player always fights, and the fan never leaves, but the honor is intangible ”, the Leon Club's statement shows.
After the recent FIFA decision, Club Leon issued a firm statement, emphasizing the challenges that the Mexican club faced in recent months. The team emphasized the impact of the FIFA decision on the World Club Championship, expressing concern about the lack of transparency and equity.
“In the last few weeks, I have been the target of attacks, stigmatized and slanderous. This is the biggest damage to a team that has always competed with humility and integrity. The history of the Leon club is simple: to play with courage, to win right and to compete with loyalty,” the club said.
The place of the Leon club at the World Club Championship will be occupied by another team. Club Leon acknowledged that their place in the tour will be taken by another team. However, they expressed their frustration towards how the situation was managed and questioned the process behind the decision.
“We know that a team should take our place at the World Club Championship. We hope that sports values that have not been respected in our case will be respected in their case, so that no one can buy or sell them,” the club added.
The World Club Championship will take place between June 14 and July 13.
