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The Mexican Football Federation and Referees Commission is investigating Liga MX referee Fernando Hernandez after television footage showed him kneeing Leon midfielder Lucas Romero in the groin during Saturday's match against America, per Reuters (h/t ESPN).
Romero and his teammates were demanding a VAR check after a controversial America equalizing goal.
After the 2-2 draw, Romero told Mexican broadcaster TUDN that he thought the kneeing was an accident.
"Obviously [referees] are human beings, many times they can make mistakes and those mistakes end up developing what happened, a lot of misunderstandings," he said. "I'm not asking for [any form of punishment]; he told me it was unintentional. But just that they also respect us as we respect them on the pitch because they are the authority."
Former referee Felipe Ramos Rizo, however, called the situation "unacceptable."
"The referee kneed the Leon player. This could cost Fernando Hernandez his career," he added in a translated tweet. "How do you explain this aggression of the referee?"
According to AS, Liga MX's bylaws dictate that "any type of violent conduct with the players, members of the technical staff, officials, with the personnel authorized to remain on the pitch and/or with the public" results in a "one to 15 games suspension and a fine of 90 to 500 UMAs (10,000 to 52,000 pesos). In the event that the infraction is committed against match officials, the sanction may be increased."
So if it is determined that Hernandez's actions were intentional, he could be facing a substantial penalty.
It also was only one memorable moment from what turned into a wild 90 minutes of football.
As for the result, the draw kept León in third place on the table at 25 points, one ahead of fourth-place Club América. Monterrey is currently running away from the pack atop the Liga MX table, nine points clear of both Toluca and León.
Bragging rights still belong to Major League Soccer.
After defeating Mexico's Liga MX All-Stars in a thrilling penalty kick shootout in last year's contest, MLS' best players earned a 2-1 victory in the 2022 MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota.
This was the second straight year the All-Star Game format was a showdown between the two leagues, and MLS is now 2-0 thanks to goals from Carlos Vela and Raúl Ruidíaz.
The home side wasted little time setting the tone thanks to some brilliance from the LAFC teammates two minutes into the game.
Diego Palacios shook a defender with a beautiful fake and unleashed a perfectly placed cross to a waiting Vela, who buried the ensuing header in the back of the net. That it was Vela, the highest scoring Mexican player in MLS history, who scored against the Liga MX All-Stars made the goal all the more notable.
MLS maintained that advantage into the second half thanks in part to multiple saves from Minnesota United FC goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair, much to the home crowd's delight.
His diving save right before halftime stood out:
The second half was far more wide open with each side creating a number of chances.
While MLS had a goal taken off the board for an offside ruling, it got one back by drawing a foul inside the box. Ruidíaz of the Seattle Sounders scored what proved to be a key insurance goal with a no-doubter on the penalty kick.
Still, it was just a matter of time before the Liga MX All-Stars finally broke through given the pressure they applied throughout much of the second half. Kevin Álvarez drilled one past New York City FC goalkeeper Sean Johnson, who replaced St. Clair, to cut the deficit in half.
That was the end of the scoring, though, as MLS protected the lead to clinch a second straight victory in the current format.
Mexican Football Federation president Yon de Luisa and Liga MX president Mikel Arriola announced a series of punishments for Liga MX side Querétaro following a fan brawl that took place at their home stadium, Estadio Corregidora, during a match against Atlas on Saturday.
Per ESPN's Cesar Hernandez, no fans will be permitted to watch Queretaro home games for one year. In addition, the barras supporters' groups are banned from the stadium for three years. They cannot attend any league matches at all for one year. Any individuals who were involved in the fighting will receive lifetime bans from all Mexican soccer stadiums.
Furthermore, Queretaro's ownership group has been banned from Liga MX activities for five years. In addition, ownership of the team has been transferred to its previous owners, Grupo Caliente.
Brawls broke out in the stands during the second half, which saw Atlas leading 1-0. Fans emptied out onto the pitch in an effort to escape the violence.
"Fans could be seen fighting across Queretaro's Estadio Corregidora, from the stands to on the field," Jack Baer of Yahoo Sports wrote. "Some images, which Yahoo Sports is not sharing, showed multiple bodies lying motionless on the ground."
Per CNN's Homero De La Fuente: "Photos from the game show fans, some of whom appear bloodied, brawling on the field and in the stands, throwing punches and hitting each other with objects."
Mauricio Kuri, the governor of the state of Queretaro, said that 24 men and two women were injured as the result of the brawl, per De La Fuente. Ten people suffered minor injuries, and three were in "critical" condition. No deaths have officially been reported.
Per Hernandez, 14 men have been arrested so far, with possible charges including attempted homicide and violence in a sporting event.
A Liga MX match between Queretaro and Atlas on Saturday was suspended because of violence involving fans in the stands.
Per ESPN's Cesar Hernandez, play was suspended in the second half after fans ran onto the field in an attempt to avoid a series of fights that broke out in the stands at Corregidora Stadium.
Referee Fernando Guerrero ordered the match be stopped in the 63rd minute with the hope of trying to restore order among the fans.
"However, the violence continued to spread across the upper bowl of the stadium, which hosted World Cup games in 1986," Hernandez wrote. "After hundreds of fans continued to flood the field of play, Guerrero halted the game for good."
There are conflicting reports about the extent of the injuries sustained from the violence. One official report (h/t Jack Baer of Yahoo Sports) claimed 44 people were wounded, including two seriously, but no deaths have been confirmed.
Liga MX president Mikel Arriola announced (h/t Carlos Rodriguez of NBC 4 in Washington) those responsible for a lack of security in the stadium would be punished.
There hasn't been any indication if or when the match might be restarted. Both teams have eight matches remaining in the Clausura 2022 season.
Atlas was leading 1-0 when play was suspended.
Major League Soccer and Liga MX announced Tuesday they are partnering on a new monthlong tournament that will begin in 2023.
According to ESPN's Jeff Carlisle, the Leagues Cup will resemble an international tournament. Forty-seven teams from the two leagues will compete in a group phase and knockout stage to determine a winner.
Previously, the Leagues Cup consisted of four teams from MLS and four teams from Liga MX, and the matches were scheduled to run concurrently with the domestic campaigns. The Seattle Sounders will play Leon at Allegiant Stadium on Wednesday in the final.
The revamped Leagues Cup will supplement a newly formatted CONCACAF Champions League. The winner of the tournament earns a place in the Champions League round of 16, while the second- and third-place finishers qualify for the opening round.
In recent months, a merger between MLS and Liga MX has been floated with the idea they'd be stronger together than apart. Perhaps the Leagues Cup is a sort of compromise where the leagues retain their independence while growing the continental game.
Historically, Liga MX clubs have dominated the Champions League. D.C. United (1998) and the Los Angeles Galaxy (2000) are the only MLS sides to have claimed a title.
Timing is often a problem for MLS representatives.
The reigning champion Columbus Crew, for example, had a two-legged tie with Real Esteli in April before they kicked off their domestic season. Ten days after their home opener, they were right back in the CCL against Monterrey in the quarterfinals.
MLS commissioner Don Garber believes the Leagues Cup "puts everybody on equal footing" because of how it's laid out, per Carlisle.
The Major League Soccer All-Star team faces a new but familiar opponent on Wednesday at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles.
The best players in MLS will go head-to-head with a team comprised of the top stars from Liga MX.
Over the years, MLS and Liga MX clubs have done battle in the CONCACAF Champions League and the recently established Leagues Cup, but this is the first time the sets of stars will face off on this stage.
Before this format, the MLS All-Stars played in an Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format and against European clubs that came stateside for their preseason tours.
MLS All-Star Game Info
Date: Wednesday, August 25
Start Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
Live Stream: FoxSports.com and Fox Sports app
Predictions
Liga MX 1, MLS 0
The MLS All-Stars come into Wednesday on a four-match losing streak.
Two years ago, the best players MLS had to offer fell 3-0 to Atletico Madrid in Orlando, Florida. Other losses during that run came against Arsenal and to Real Madrid and Juventus on penalty kicks.
As a whole, Liga MX has been the best domestic league in North America for quite some time. That is backed up by the success the league's teams have experienced in the CONCACAF Champions League. A Mexican club has won the CCL in every year since 2006.
The MLS All-Star Game is typically on the low side when it comes to scoring, and that should be the case again in Los Angeles.
Each roster boasts a handful of world-class goalkeepers. Mexico No. 1 Guillermo Ochoa, Nahuel Guzman and Alfredo Talavera will be in net for Liga MX. United States men's national team netminder Matt Turner, Peru's Pedro Gallese and Andre Blake of Jamaica are on the MLS roster.
With a handful of No. 1 international netminders set to take the field, it is hard to imagine chances flying in at will.
The frenetic nature of the All-Star Game itself can also suit a low-scoring game. Both teams are thrown together in just under a week and have little time to train together.
If you mix in the countless substitutions, you will have two squads that lack chemistry on the field.
Those factors could lead to some choppy play and a feeling-out process early on that could limit the number of chances.
Continental league pride could be an extra motivator to some of the players, but it will lack the punch of a USMNT-Mexico rivalry game because the MLS squad is full of players from around the globe.
Forwards Raul Ruidiaz of the Seattle Sounders and Gustavo Bou of the league-leading New England Revolution are the best options to score for MLS.
Orlando City midfielder Nani could be considered for the scoring role as well, but he may best off as provider on the wing, or in tight spaces around the net, to set up the talented forwards across the MLS roster.
Rogelio Funes Mori is one of the top danger men for Liga MX. He scored twice in Monterrey's first four league games and produced double-digit goals in each of the last six league campaigns.
Even if those players create chances, it could be hard for them to put tallies past some of the best goalkeepers in the world.
The Liga MX squad carries a bit more overall quality, and the advantages shown over the last decades in the CCL should bleed into the All-Star Game.
Enrique Bonilla, president of Liga MX, has tested positive for COVID-19, the league announced Friday evening.
Bonilla is currently asymptomatic and under isolation.
"I'll keep myself informed about the situation the country is going through and the alternative and possible solutions to resolve it," Bonilla said via translated statement. "Especially in the Liga MX and Ascenso MX family."
Liga MX has been on hiatus since March 15 as the pandemic continues to spread around the world. Bonilla becomes the second known case in the league after Atletico San Luis president Alberto Marrero was confirmed to have contracted the disease Tuesday.
According to the World Health Organization, there are 118 cases of the coronavirus across Mexico as of Friday night. There are 234,073 confirmed cases worldwide with China, Italy and Iran among the hardest-hit nations.
ESPN's Jose Ramon Fernandez notes that Bonilla, who often deals with FIFA officials on behalf of Liga MX, had recently returned from Spain, which has been exposed to a high number of cases as well.
Liga MX has not given a timetable for its return to play but was planning on continuing with the contests without fans before suspending the schedule entirely.
Bonilla is in quarantine and remains in stable condition.
Mexico has become the latest country to have its top-flight football matches postponed in response to the global outbreak of the coronavirus.
Play will be brought to a halt after fixtures for Matchday 10 of the 2019/20 season have been wrapped up Sunday night:
Toluca are currently hosting Atlas, while Santos Laguna at home to Necaxa and Club America's game against Cruz Azul are the remaining matches. The decision to call subsequent games off means Liga MX will join leagues in England, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Italy and the United States that have suspended play.
Games had been allowed to continue but only when played behind closed doors. The league's statement (h/t Joel Soria of NBC Sports) referenced "communication with the Ministry of Health to attend to their recommendations and, of course, health and prevention measures will continue to be carried out in the stadiums for players, club staff and the media."
Consultation with the authorities has led to sterner measures from the league. Those measures cap an escalated response to dealing with the threat of the virus, a process detailed by ESPN FC's Tom Marshall:
It means the Mexican top flight is now going to begin considering how, when and if its season will be able to end. The same dilemma is dominating the agendas of football's governing bodies across Europe and beyond.
Major League Soccer had already taken the decision to suspend play for 30 days as part of a large stoppage of sports across North America, per BBC Sport. Meanwhile, England's Premier League is at a standstill until April 4, with Liverpool 25 points clear at the top. It's possible the season could be called off altogether.
The division would need 14 clubs to consent to voiding the campaign, according to the London Evening Standard (h/t Joe Miles of The Sun).
Mexico's title picture could be even more complex, with Cruz Azul able to move a point above Leon with victory over Club America. The latter would only be a point off the top with victory.
What form leagues take as and when the suspension of play is lifted will be the main focus of football's top decision-makers.
Meanwhile, all sports will continue trying to adjust to a virus that has so far been confirmed in over 152,400 people in 144 countries, per data provided by the World Health Organisation (h/t CNN).
Monterrey only have to avoid defeat when they travel to face Club America in the second leg of the 2019 Liga MX Apertura final on Sunday in order to win their first such title since 2010.
Los Rayados lead 2-1 on aggregate after Rogelio Funes Mori won Thursday's home leg with a spectacular bicycle kick in injury time.
Defending Apertura champions America are targeting their second title in as many tournaments under Miguel Herrera, who is the only Mexican manager to win a Liga MX title since 2013. Monterrey counterpart Antonio Mohamed has had a rejuvenating effect since returning to the club for his second stint in October and has yet to be beaten in 13 domestic matches.
Date: Sunday, December 29
Time: 9:15 p.m. ET/2:15 a.m. GMT (Monday, Dec. 30)
Venue: Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go (U.S.)
TV Info: Fox Sports 1, Fox Deportes (U.S.)
Preview
America came close to becoming the first Mexican team to beat Monterrey since Mohamed took back control of the club, with the Argentinian reviving their campaign and then some.
Their journey to the final has been remarkable considering Monterrey were 14th in the regular-season standings when he was reappointed, recovering to finish eighth and take the last play-off spot.
Sunday's guests find themselves in a much more confident position as they prepare to visit Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, the same site where America beat bitter rivals Cruz Azul to lift last year's title.
Carlos Rodriguez's own goal in the first leg briefly set Monterrey on course for a shock home defeat, but Stefan Medina and Funes Mori got on the scoresheet to complete their narrow comeback:
Funes Mori converted his 11th Liga MX goal of the season to move to within one of the competition's joint-top scorers, Alan Pulido of Guadalajara and Mauro Quiroga of Necaxa. A brace on Sunday would see the 28-year-old finish the campaign with the Golden Boot:
Netherlands striker Vincent Janssen missed the club's recent run to third place at the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup through injury but came on as a second-half substitute in the first-leg win over America.
He could be in the running to start when Mohamed's men travel to Mexico's capital, though ESPN Stats & Info provided evidence as to why Funes Mori has the ability to lead the line alone once again:
America midfielder Sebastian Cordova will play no part in the final second leg after he was sent off following a review by the video assistant referee in the opener. Despite his red card, Thursday's visiting team almost saw out a draw.
ESPN FC's Cesar Hernandez teased it would be an open affair between on Sunday:
America have won 13 top-tier titles in Mexican league football—more than any other team—but Herrera's men will be hard-pressed to stop Monterrey earning their fifth.
