Solazzi, despite the FMF's hunt against him, remains firm in his support for promotion.

Erendira Palma Hernández

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, June 27, 2025, p. a11

The suspension of promotion and relegation in the Liga MX has led Giovanni Solazzi, vice president and general manager of Cancún FC of the Liga de Expansión, to seek agreements, including even going to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), as well as facing unforeseen events such as an investigation by the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) for his statements defending the format that grants a sports prize.

"It's not a battle, it's a movement with the idea of ​​building. As a rule, promotion must return; behind it, there's a lot of preparation work with a good attitude and a desire to improve Mexican soccer because it's necessary. In my opinion, there's a lot of mediocrity, and that's a killer. It shouldn't be like this, because here are many of the best teams in the world ," Solazzi said in a conversation with La Jornada.

The manager maintains this defensive stance, even though he is in the midst of an investigation opened by the federation against him and Alberto Castellanos, president of Leones Negros, for allegedly violating the code of ethics following a conference they held earlier this month in which they expressed their dissatisfaction with the suspension of promotion and relegation.

I can't comment much; I haven't received the results of the investigation yet. Some points and words we said were pointed out. Absolutely none of these were insults; whether they were taken aggressively is an interpretation. We exercised our right to expression in a good manner, without insulting anyone and without saying anything bad , he noted.

Faced with the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Liga MX announced in 2020 the suspension of promotion and relegation. A year later, it imposed several requirements to meet certification and thus aspire to the First Division, in addition to requiring at least four clubs to have that classification. The previous format was planned to be reinstated this year so that a team could be promoted in 2026; however, the FMF indicated a few weeks ago that it would not be until 2027, but contradicts itself by stating that promotion is in effect via certification .

Faced with this situation, 10 clubs from the Expansion League—Atlante, La Paz, Atlético Morelia, Cancún FC, Cimarrones de Sonora, Alebrijes de Oaxaca, Mineros de Zacatecas, Venados FC, Leones Negros de la UdeG, and Jaiba Brava—filed a lawsuit before the CAS. However, four of them withdrew their claim, and the FMF also withdrew the subsidy it had provided as compensation for their lack of promotion.

Mexican-American Jeff Luhnow and Blue Crow Sports Group, owner of Leganés, purchased Cancún FC in 2020 to create a new sports brand in the Riviera Maya region; a project that has been hampered by FMF measures. Investment often comes from the bottom up , Solazzi said, citing the examples of Como and Atalanta in Italy, which grew after being promoted, or Oviedo, owned by Grupo Pachuca and which reached the First Division in Spain.

There are six of us still in the CAS, and we're strong. Executives from other countries don't understand what's happening in Mexico, where they're looking for one club to be promoted when in other leagues there are up to four , he concluded.

▲ Vinicius Jr. opened the scoring spree for Madrid, who beat Salzburg 3-0. Photo: AFP

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, June 27, 2025, p. a12

At every Club World Cup, Real Madrid carries the historic label of being the tournament's most successful team, which compels them to deliver excellent performances. Now, in a period of adaptation under Xabi Alonso, the Merengues lived up to that standard by sealing their place in the round of 16 with a 3-0 victory over Salzburg, while Al-Hilal pulled off a surprise victory by defeating Pachuca.

Even though they started this season with a draw and were unable to call on star player Kylian Mbappé, who has been ill, Madrid finished top of Group H with seven points and will now face Juventus, second in Group G after being overtaken by Manchester City.

With a spectacular play that broke through the opposing defense, Vinicius Jr (40) scored the first goal at the Lincoln Financial in Philadelphia. Federico Valverde (45+3) then increased the score and Gonzalo García (85) sealed the victory.

In the Merengues' great performance, Jude Bellingham was key, sending precise passes to Vinicius and Valverde to reach the goal.

Meanwhile, at Geodis Park in Nashville, Al-Hilal became the surprise of the tournament by becoming the only African team to secure a place in the round of 16 after beating Pachuca 2-0 with goals from Salem Aldawsari (22) and Marcos Leonardo (90+5). The Saudi team closed with five points – one more than Salzburg – and will now face Manchester City, the reigning champions.

In contrast, the Tuzos, representing Liga MX, bowed out as one of the teams with the lowest performances, with three consecutive losses. The result represents a discouraging start for Jaime Lozano, who took over the coaching job a few weeks ago following the departure of Guillermo Almada.

In the duel between European football powers, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City demonstrated clear superiority by thrashing Juventus 5-2 to take the lead in Group G, unbeaten with nine points.

The Citizens pleased the more than 54,000 fans at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando with a goal festival from Jeremy Doku (minute 9), Erling Haaland (52), Phil Foden (69), Savinho (75), while defender Pierre Kalulu (26) scored an own goal.

Meanwhile, Al-Ain of the United Arab Emirates closed out their World Cup campaign with a 2-1 victory over Moroccan side Wydad, who had also been eliminated as they finished last in Group G.

Alma E. Muñoz and Néstor Jiménez

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, June 27, 2025, p. a12

President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo met yesterday with the head of government of Mexico City, Clara Brugada, and the governors of Jalisco, Pablo Lemus, and Nuevo León, Samuel García, to coordinate preparations for the 2026 World Cup. "It will be a great sporting event ," the president said on social media.

Before the meeting, Lemus said they would explain all the actions each of them is taking.

In the case of Jalisco, he indicated, we are ready to receive more than 2.5 million visitors over the 50 days of the World Cup.

He emphasized that they have made progress in renovating the access road to Guadalajara from the airport, "what we call the Chapala Highway," with an investment of 2.5 billion pesos.

We're here to ask the Federation for support for the electric mobility system and, very importantly, for security. Jalisco has the highest-paid police force in all of Mexico. For the lowest earners, 25,740 pesos, free of charge , Lemus assured.

Samuel García also noted that all of the city's trucks are being renovated in Nuevo León.

"We're going to purchase 2,000 euros to have all the new trucks at the World Cup. We're also asking for support for the Parque del Agua—located around the Rayados stadium—and the new Fundidora, where the Fan Fest for the Cup will be held."

Likewise, in terms of highways, the Interserrana Highway, which connects San Luis Potosí, Nuevo León, Coahuila, and Tamaulipas, and fortunately the President is going to support us with permits and resources , shared Samuel García.

Ap

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, June 27, 2025, p. a12

Paris. Kylian Mbappé has filed a complaint against his former team, Paris Saint-Germain, for workplace harassment, the Paris Prosecutor's Office confirmed yesterday, which has begun an investigation.

The authority reported that Mbappé is “reporting the lofting he claimed to have been subjected to at Paris Saint-Germain.” The word “ lofting” is used in France to describe a practice that involves isolating a player from the main squad for sporting, administrative, or disciplinary reasons.

Mbappé is unhappy with the way he was treated by the Ligue 1 club when he was released ahead of the 2023-24 season, following his decision not to extend his contract with the club.

The French star joined Real Madrid last summer on a free transfer after scoring a record 256 goals in seven years at PSG, who won the Champions League without him this year.

This latest episode adds to the Real Madrid striker's claim, who is dissatisfied with his former club, arguing that PSG owes him €55 million ($61 million) in unpaid wages.

Mbappé's relationship with PSG ended amid deep tensions. The Parisian club was disappointed with Mbappé after offering him the most lucrative contract in the club's history when he signed a new deal in 2022.

But the striker was frustrated because he felt promises to sign key players hadn't been kept. When he signed that deal, he was presented to the fans holding a shirt with the number 2025. Mbappé was reportedly upset that the contract ran until 2024, with a player option for an additional season.

The French star surprised PSG in June 2023 by informing the club that he would not take up the option for an additional year. With his contract effectively in its final year, it put the club in the position of needing to sell the player to avoid losing him without receiving anything when the contract expired.

After telling the club he wouldn't extend his contract, Mbappé was left out of a preseason tour of Japan and South Korea and forced to train with marginal players. PSG indicated they would rather sell him than let him leave for free in 2024, but he rejected a €300 million move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal.

Mbappé's legal team said in April that they would pursue legal action against PSG over the way he was treated at the time.

▲ Photo taken from social networks

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, June 27, 2025, p. a12

Luis Chávez became the first player to miss the Tricolor Gold Cup due to a serious injury in training on Wednesday. Chávez suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, a diagnosis confirmed after an MRI. Due to the severity of the injury, the player will not be able to continue his participation with the national team , the team announced in a statement. Javier Aguirre's team plays tomorrow against Saudi Arabia in the quarterfinals of the tournament.