Juba Touabi, Media365, published on Tuesday May 06, 2025 at 11:45 p.m.
The 2025 club World Cup, which will take place in the United States, already knows its first major rebounded before the start.
The Sports Arbitral Tribunal (TAS) has confirmed the exclusion of the Mexican club León, a major decision. This verdict follows a violation of the multi -ownership rules established by FIFA: the club indeed shares the same owner as the CF Pachuca, also qualified for the tournament. However, according to the regulations in force, it is strictly prohibited for two clubs belonging to the same legal or financial entity to participate simultaneously in the same international competition, in order to guarantee sports equity.
A dam match to replace León
To fill the void left by this disqualification, FIFA announced the exceptional organization of a dam match, an unprecedented initiative in the recent history of the competition. This decisive encounter will oppose the Los Angeles FC, an ambitious training which counts in its ranks the French internationals Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud, at the prestigious club America, another great figure of Mexican football. The match will be played on May 31 in Los Angeles, and the winner of this duel will be awarded the last vacant place within group D of the global competition, with Chelsea, English club with affirmed European ambitions, Flamengo, giant of South American football, and the Hope of Tunis, an essential figure of African football.
However, the TAS’s decision did not fail to arouse controversial reactions. The León club expressed its deep disagreement, denouncing a sanction deemed “very hard” and even evoking the existence of external pressures having influenced the decision -making process. In addition, the Costarian club Alajuelense, which nourished the hope of being drafted to occupy the place left vacant, was ultimately not retained by FIFA, a choice that feeds the tensions and frustrations behind the scenes. A few weeks before kick-off, this 2025 edition of the Club World Cup is already rich in sporting issues but also in extra-sporting tensions.
