Mikel Arriola once again sang in front of the microphone. In the midst of the storm of family memories and criticism for keeping the rise and relegation in Aztec football well buried, the president commissioner of the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) pulled out a new gem of justification from his sleeve.
Now it turns out, according to their data, that the Expansion League is not a dirty or punished circuit, but rather a “development league.” Do me a favor!, a circuit concerned with producing players when in Liga MX they are allowed to register nine foreigners and accommodate seven on the field at the same time. The leader's lies are subtle.
Adding more fuel to the fire
But Arriola's shot backfired. Instead of cooling the waters, he ended up adding more gasoline to the bonfire of controversy. What he first said as a subtle and formal comment, as the hours passed, became pure dynamite, once again igniting the fury of a fan who no longer believes even the blessed ones in long pants.
Taking advantage of the return trip to watch the semifinals of the U-20 World Cup at the Banorte Stadium (Azteca), Mikel stood in front of the media to defend his house of cards under the banner that the Expansion League was born to polish little gems:
"We consider that league a very important development league. We have under-23 players. For example, the two affiliates we have with Guadalajara and Cruz Azul, and we are going to continue investing in the league and we are going to continue promoting the Premier League teams to be there."
Development… or veterans home?
The speech sounds nice on the FMF PowerPoint, but stubborn reality trips it up. Baptizing the circuit as the “cradle of talents” is a joke that is told only when the competition's own regulations bend their hands and allow up to eight players over 23 years of age to be registered per club. What kind of seedbed is consolidated by opening the doors to teams full of established footballers?
For example, a button that disarms his entire theory: the Toros del Celaya, who are leading the overall table, have none other than the eternal Humberto “El Ganso” Hernández at the top of their game. At 41 years old, the goalkeeper continues to fly and cover mouths, being just one year behind another legend of the Mexican fields like Nahuel “El Patón” Guzmán of the Tigres. That is not development; He is a twisted fang who could very well be competing on the top circuit.
The total divorce with the tribune
The annoyance has already overflowed the fields. Not only footballers and coaches raise their voices; The fans, regardless of their colors, have already sentenced the managers. Social networks do not forgive and as an example, the video that went viral a few days ago. An exponent of the fan base came face to face with Mikel Arriola in the middle of a plane flight.
Camera in hand and without shaking his voice, the fan sang the price in his own face, demanding the return of the promotion and relegation. The manager's response? Apply “deaf ears”, stare at the cell phone and ignore the feelings of the tribune that feeds the business. The fracture between the one in the chair and the one in the stands is more alive than ever.
