El Tri prepares for the League of Nations.
Photo: Etzel Espinosa / Imago7
The Mexican soccer team will begin its journey in the Concacaf Nations League on June 11 against Suriname at the Ciudad de Torreón stadiumand not in the Azteca of the capital, reported this Monday the sports director Ignacio Hierro.
“I am sure that we are going to have a fantastic experience in Torreón. For years there has been this plan for the national team to play in other places and today there is this opportunity to come to Torreón, other games will be in the Azteca”, said the sports director of national teams.
El Tri was paired in Group A of the League of Nations along with Suriname and the Jamaican national team. Last year, in the first edition of this tournament, Mexico lost the final WITH the United States.
The Mexican team has sought alternatives to its matches at the Azteca Stadium, its traditional headquarters, after failing to control the homophobic cry launched by its fans and for which FIFA has punished it on several occasions.
Only in the pre-qualifier for the 2018 Russia World Cup the Mexican team accumulated 11 fines for the shouting of its followers.
A trend that intensified in 2021 in which the FIFA sanction escalated to playing two games without an audience at the Azteca Stadiumpunishment that in the end was stopped by the appeal of the Mexican team before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS).
Ignacio Hierro explained that the duel against Suriname will not be the only one to be played outside the Azteca Stadium.
“This is going to be repeated throughout the Mexican Republic because the team wants to get closer to its people in all corners. There will be, yes, some matches at the Azteca Stadium and others in different states to be supported by all the fans”.
In addition to this game The director confirmed that the Mexican women’s team will have a couple of duels against Peru in Torreón in preparation for the Concacaf W Championship in which he will seek his pass to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand 2023.
“I’m sure it will be a great experience in closing the preparation of the women’s team heading to Concacaf W; will face Peru on June 25 and 28. The women’s team is contagious, it’s a team that excites people”.
Torreón is located almost 1,000 kilometers north of Mexico City.