Mexico City, Nov 24 (IANS) The head coach of Mexico City club Cruz Azul said that Mexico’s probable return to the Copa Libertadores and Copa America would be positive in some respects but that football in the Aztec nation needs a deeper restructuring.
“Mexican football can benefit because you compete against clubs or national sides that are at another level, with more experience, and it’s important to have that kind of competition,” 48-year-old Portuguese manager Pedro Caixinha said on Thursday evening.
But he stressed that a grassroots restructuring is needed to grow the sport and develop young talent and added that Mexican football is also at a disadvantage because its league matches are not broadcast in Europe, reports Efe news.
Caixinha’s remarks come after the interim coach of Mexico’s national football team, Ricardo Ferretti, said last month that foreign players had taken on key attacking roles at Liga MX clubs and were denying opportunities for native-born players.
Ferretti, who is also the head coach of Mexican-league club Tigres UANL, repeated his remarks in Argentina, where Mexico’s national team lost a pair of friendlies this month by the identical score of 2-0.
But Caixinha said other issues, including the visibility of Mexican football in Europe, were being overlooked.
–IANS
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