Javier Aguirre, the coach of Mexico's national team, has begun disciplining the squad.
Mexico plans to call up domestic league players early and operate a long-term training camp ahead of the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup. But some clubs are resisting the release of players citing playoff schedules, putting them in direct conflict with the Mexican Football Federation.
According to ESPN on the 7th, the Mexican Football Federation warned that it would exclude players from the final roster for the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup who join the national team late from the Liga MX, the Mexican domestic league, for the national team training camp that begins on the 6th local time.
Mexico plans to call up 12 key players active in Liga MX first and begin long-term cohesion training. The federation released the list of 12 players selected by coach Aguirre on the 29th of last month, describing them as "players likely to be included in the final World Cup roster."
The problem began when some clubs demanded the return of players citing important end-of-season schedules. The conflict escalated when images surfaced of Jesús Gallardo and Alexis Vega of Deportivo Toluca participating in their club's training ahead of the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal against LAFC.
Even Guadalajara owner Amaury Vergara openly pushed back. He used social media to ask the national team to return the players called up by the federation, arguing that "an agreement is meaningful".
Guadalajara lost 1-3 in the first leg of the quarterfinals against Tigres UANL, making an all-out effort in the second leg unavoidable. From the club's perspective, it could not afford to release key players to the national team ahead of the season's biggest matches.
The Mexican Football Federation took a hard line in an official statement. The federation said, "All players must join the national team training center in Mexico City. Players who do not participate in the training camp under the coaching staff's instructions will be excluded from the World Cup squad," it said sternly.
Aguirre also did not back down. At a press conference he emphasized, "It is written very clearly in the statement. Players who do not participate in the training camp cannot go to the World Cup. This project has been a long-discussed plan. We cannot concede on this issue."
Mexico's internal strife is good news for Hong Myung-bo's team. If Mexico's key players do not attend national team training and are not selected, Mexico's national team's strength cannot be 100%.
On the other hand, the fact that Mexico is already calling up the national team to prepare for the World Cup is frightening. Korea also stopped the K League and held a training camp ahead of the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. As a result, it was able to produce the miracle of reaching the semifinals. Mexico intends to follow that successful example.
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