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In the last few hours, the United States national team called up the right winger, Alejandro Zendejas, for friendly matches against Serbia and Colombia in this month of January. This means that the United States is the country that can summon the 24-year-old player as many times as necessary, and the Mexican national team will have to pay an economic fine to FIFA for the aforementioned case.
And there was a dispute between the United States national team and the Mexican national team over Alejandro Zendejas since the player played for both teams, and FIFA began an investigation in this regard. Finally, FIFA decided to impose a fine on Mexico in the amount of 10,000 Swiss francs, which is equivalent to $10,900.
Furthermore, FIFA not only fined Mexico economically but also had to forfeit the results of the friendly matches against Ecuador, Guatemala, Romania, Saudi Arabia, and Australia. Even though Mexico played in only 2 matches, FIFA decided to add the other games since the player was used and the proper protocols indicated by FIFA were not followed in these situations.
What is the situation of Mexico after the Alejandro Zendejas case?
It is worth mentioning that Alejandro Zendejas could have played under FIFA regulations if the young fullback had requested a change of affiliation, as Zendejas participated in the U-17 World Cup with the United States in 2015.
Likewise, the 'cancellation' of the friendly matches that Mexico had will negatively affect the FIFA ranking of the 'Tri', as its position could change for this 2023.
Alejandro Zendejas and the matches he played with Mexico
The 24-year-old player played in two matches with the Mexican national team, one in the U-23 category against Ecuador in 2021, while the other was against Guatemala in a friendly match.
Although Zendejas did not play minutes against Romania, Saudi Arabia, or Australia, FIFA made the decision to modify the scoreline of these five matches to 3-0 in favor of the opposing teams.