SINALOA -- The transparency of Mexican soccer and the honesty with which the Liga MX is managed was questioned by Pep Guardiola, who, during his time as a player in Dorados in 2006, observed the way things were done.

During the promotion final between Dorados and Lobos BUAP in 2017, ESPN Digital interviewed Rodolfo Jiménez, a close friend of Pep and owner of Café Miró in Culiacán. In that place, the Catalan strategist found one of his favorite spots and sat at a table by the window facing Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez street, spending hours analyzing what was happening in Mexican soccer and the external factors that influenced it.

Jiménez remembered the love that Guardiola had for the city, especially for Gran Pez, so in one of their conversations after the departure of the former Barcelona midfielder, he said, "One day I will go to Mexico, buy Dorados, become friends with Televisa, and we will promote it."

"He did think about it, and not only him. Many foreigners also thought this way and doubted the honesty of Mexican soccer," said Rodolfo Jiménez.

Guardiola doubted what was happening on the grass, but especially the influence of the television network Televisa.

"He thought that Televisa had a lot of influence on the style of play, who goes up and down, and he saw certain corruption in the system, he saw it and regretted it," he said.

Don Rodolfo exposed to this portal that the current Manchester City coach talked about the insecurity that was being experienced at that time. "He lamented the situation, the violence, but it was not a dominant topic."

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Another aspect that Pep covered during his stay was the lack of preparation that players have when they reach the First Division and the "game reading".

"He commented that they had deficiencies and he was frustrated that many did not adjust because they did not have the reading of the game, and that cost them matches. There were some who changed position and he said they had to adjust and he got very frustrated with them," the businessman said.

Pep Guardiola has closely followed the promotion playoffs that the Sinaloa team has lost in its quest to return to the top league, but his promise will be far from fulfilled since the Liga MX voted for the teams in the second division not to be promoted to the First Division, and instead, the Ascenso MX becomes a development league.