Marlene Santos Alejo: Summary of the day

▲ Rayadas coach Amelia Valverde kicked off her contract renewal (for another year) with a place in the semifinals in pursuit of a third championship. Photo @rayadas

AND

The Lion will be in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sport to defend their participation in the Club World Cup; however, symbolically, other timeshare cases are also being brought to the table, an aberrant situation that only occurs in Mexican soccer. The final verdict will be announced a few days later, but whatever the outcome—in favor of or against the Green Bellies—the matter has represented a showcase to the world of a league that aims to be among the top five, despite its absurd and retrograde behavior.

The issue is a watershed that paints a complete picture of Liga MX. Here, the owners' addiction to gaining an advantage is commonplace. However, having two teams swap players at will, strengthening one more than the other, and in head-to-head clashes achieving epic draws or a win for the most needy team borders on shamelessness. Timeshares lend themselves to that and more… A good dividend from the León case would be for the world's governing body to set a deadline to extinguish this calamity.

And by the way, FIFA should face up to its sin. Not only did it lose sight of the fact that León and Tuzos, both from Grupo Pachuca, were participating in the qualifying rounds. Both earned their ticket to the Club World Cup (to be held from June 14 to July 13), both participated in the draw, and it wasn't until Alajuelense of Costa Rica protested that it took notice and issued a regulation banning timeshares. Even worse! When Gianni Infantino, head of the International Federation, was informed that América was a lucrative option, he preempted the situation by announcing the match between the Águilas and Los Ángeles FC.

The most illustrative example of how timeshare ownership is a disaster is exemplified by TvAzteca's Puebla, Mazatlán, and Atlas, plus a possible stake in Santos Laguna. Businessmen like Ricardo Salinas Pliego repeatedly mock fans. This is what he did when he moved the Morelia franchise to Mazatlán, because one government offered aid and facilities that another restricted... A sad triumph: today, the Sinaloa stadium competes with the Bravos, the Corona TSM, and the Cuauhtémoc for the worst attendances.

In September, a fan bought a screen at an Elektra store and smashed it with a hammer in protest of Puebla's poor run and lack of reinforcements. Annoyed, Salinas Pliego threatened to move the franchise to Tlaxcala or Mexicali ... Grupo Caliente claims it is about to get rid of Querétaro, while Grupo Pachuca has said it will sell 51 percent of León... Alejandro Irarragorri, of Orlegi (Santos and Atlas), for now only wants to avoid jail, as he has an arrest warrant.

Cruz Azul is on the cusp of another rematch, undoubtedly with less anticipation than that generated by Argentine Martín Anselmi, as they now have a rookie on the bench whom no one believed in. Uruguayan Vicente Sánchez offered himself to the cement company's management, but was reluctantly given the U-23 title, and his journey has been uphill, also because he resents the animosity of his fellow countryman Iván Alonso, who wanted to do business with promoters to impose another manager. However, Sánchez's reputation has grown game after game.

Amid the controversy over whether it's appropriate to remove the interim label and give him the position of coach, former manager Rafael Lebrija recalled: "I brought him from Montevideo to Toluca and it was a great success. Now as a coach, he's proving he can handle the situation. Who dares say otherwise?" It hasn't been easy for the 45-year-old former striker. Five years ago, he finished his coaching studies, looked for work as an assistant or administrator at a club, insisted on asking the choriceros, but was met with outright rejection.

On June 1st, they will play in the CONCACAF Champions League final against the Vancouver Whitecaps, but before that, they have everything they need to shine in the playoffs starting Wednesday against León… Another player with little credibility who has surprised many is Mexican forward Ángel Sepúlveda, who is going for the golden boot in the regional tournament… Monterrey coach Amelia Valverde has already taken the first big step toward a three-time championship after eliminating their bitter rivals, Las Amazonas. In the semifinals, they will face Pachuca, the favorite.