After it was announced that the Liga MX will resume activities on Tuesday, September 26, we recap five key points that were the focus during these days of tragedy in the central and southern parts of the country due to the strong earthquakes that occurred.
Was resuming the Liga a good decision?
This Tuesday, Mexican soccer starts again in its top category, creating a dilemma about whether it is right to celebrate matches when thousands of families are still mourning their dead from the earthquake or have lost everything they own. Imagine a possible survivor buried among the rubble while the stadiums are filled with a festive atmosphere.
On the other hand, life must go on, and while it is true that the pain throughout the country remains the same, finding a moment of recreation in soccer, putting on your team's jersey again, and even if it's just for 90 minutes, trying to forget about the tragedy the country is experiencing, can also be a good painkiller.
The old infrastructure of the Liga MX
The earthquakes that hit parts of the country raised concerns about some Liga MX stadiums. Teams like Monterrey, Chivas, Toluca, and Zacatepec have previously taken the initiative to remodel their facilities or create new venues to ensure quality and resistance to these natural phenomena.
The Estadio Azteca, the Azul, and the Olímpico de CU were among the main sports venues in Mexico City that raised concerns about their condition because even though they did not suffer major damage, the quality of their structure was immediately questioned. For this reason, and since they are the home of three of the most important teams in Mexico, if any remodeling is done or the construction of the new celestial stadium, it must bring security as well as a great spectacle.
Teams like Puebla and Lobos BUAP, who play their home matches in one of the areas most affected by the earthquake last Tuesday, will surely reinforce these conditions to avoid experiencing situations like this again, as Estadio Cuauhtémoc, which had recently been renovated, did suffer damage to its facilities.
Lower League, Second Division and Third Division stadiums
Everyone looks at the state in which the different stadiums of the first division were left in the areas affected by the earthquake on September 19. Venues like the Azteca, the Azul, the Olímpico Universitario, the Cuauhtémoc, the 'Coruco' Díaz, and the Nemesio Díez remained undamaged after the natural disaster.
However... do you know in what condition the Unión Deportiva Miraval stadium, home of Atlético Cuernavaca, was left? Do you know if the team can still play there or if any of their players lost a family member or their home? This team belongs to the Group VI of the Third Professional Division, and nobody has said a word about them or the other clubs that make up this league.
Most of these teams, and even the organizations of the different divisions, have not provided much information about the condition of the facilities located in these areas that were the most affected by the strongest earthquake felt in Mexico in decades.
Moral responsibility assumed by the players
Leave aside what the maximum references of Mexican soccer usually do in these types of tragedies, beyond the classic "we stand together with the Mexican people," "my solidarity with the victims," etc.
As rarely happens, some players came down from their pedestal, forgot about the media figure they represent both in Mexico and in their respective countries, and became one more ally of the people who came out to remove debris and support the victims.
Stories like those of Martín Cauteruccio, a forward for Cruz Azul, who asked to keep his contribution anonymous after helping a woman who couldn't walk at the collection center in Centro Universitario México, or Jesus Corona himself, who wearing gloves and a face mask, went to one of the most affected areas of Xochimilco to remove debris. These are unforgettable memories left by these days of tragedy.
The abandonment by the FMF and the Liga MX
Despite all the teams cooperating to send aid to the victims of the earthquake, the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) and the Liga MX were in abandonment.
On September 19, the Liga only announced the suspension of the Copa MX Round of 16 matches after the earthquake in Mexico. In the following days, they informed that, like the cup tournament, the Week 10 matches in the top category, as well as the Liga Femenil, Ascenso MX, and other divisions, would be rescheduled. However, this was an obligation rather than a show of solidarity.
They also shared information about the collection of supplies at the collection centers of the different first division teams.
The FMF chose to go unnoticed in these last few days following the earthquake that shook Mexico. On their official Twitter account, they only posted that "Mexican soccer joins the national mourning."
Both organizations published on their social media accounts that they would support those affected in the different collection centers around the country; however, neither of them set up a place in their facilities to support or receive supplies.