Behind closed doors for a year, suspension of the management team for five years, fine against the club, banning of the stadium of the most violent supporters…. After the clashes, Saturday March 5, on the ground of Querétaro, the list sanctions against the Mexican football club continues to grow.
On Sunday, the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) immediately put an end to the travel of supporters of visiting clubs. On Tuesday, she announced new sanctions, specifically targeting the Querétaro club. The team, which plays in the Mexican first division, will have to play its home matches behind closed doors for a year. His “barras”, violent supporters, are banned from the stadium for three years.
The Mexican Federation has also been intransigent against the leaders of Querétaro. The current leadership will be suspended for five years. The administration of the club is the responsibility of the owners of the “membership rights”, “provided they put it on sale before the end of 2022”, said the federation. The team is now owned by a company, Solaz Deportes y Entretenimiento, owned by one of the country’s wealthiest businessmen. In addition, the club was fined 1.5 million pesos, or 64,550 euros.
Sanctions also hit the Atlas team, which faced Querétaro on Saturday. Due to the behavior of her supporters last weekend, she will be deprived of away support for six months.
For its part, the courts said on Tuesday that they had arrested ten alleged perpetrators of the violence. Identified through media images and social networks, they are suspected of “attempted homicide, violence in a sports arena and apology for the crime”. On Monday, 19 of the 26 injured had left the hospital.
On the sporting side, the FMF decided to award the three points for the victory of the match to Atlas, who were leading 1-0 before the match was interrupted in the 63rd minute.
These incidents, referred to as “barbarity” by the Mexican press, are the most serious in Mexican football since May 26, 1985 when clashes between supporters of the Pumas and América resulted in eight deaths at the Olympic stadium in Mexico City. FIFA joined the authorities of Mexican football “to condemn these barbaric incidents”, encouraging justice to quickly punish the culprits. Mexico is to co-host the 2026 World Cup with the United States and Canada.