Puebla´s financial problems rumble on

Published: Friday, 10. February, 2012 in category The View from Mexico

The financial plight of Puebla FC appears to be getting more complicated.

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The club has made its case to the Mexican soccer federation (FMF) to reduce the wages of first team squad members Daniel Osorno and Mario Rodriguez, because the club doesn´t have enough money.

The players weren´t told and had to go to the federation to find out what was going on. Not surprisingly, they weren´t happy.

“They say that, as there is no money, they wanted to lower our wages, but we didn´t accept,” explained former Mexico international Osorno of his and Rodriguez´s situation. “We haven´t broken any club rules or had disciplinary problems.”

Osorno added that the directors are asking the two players to accept half of their contracted wages, but that they didn´t confront him.

“They haven´t given an explication, they´ve not shown their face,” he said.

Osorno´s outburst is just the tip of the iceberg for Puebla, which owe most the squad at least one month´s wages, according to widespread reports in the Mexican press, and made all the wrong sorts of headlines on Jan. 13, when Mexican tax authorities came to confiscate goods from the club due to tax arrears, just as the team was about to set off to play away at Pachuca.

This weekend La Franja travels to Pumas (Sunday, 1 pm), with troubles off the field but the sense that on the field, Colombian coach Juan Carlos Osorio is starting to get the team playing how he wants it to. Puebla has picked up four points from its last two games.

The weekend´s must-watch game is Morelia versus first-placed Santos Laguna (Friday, 9 pm). Both teams regularly make the playoffs and fought an epic semifinal last time they played. Santos Laguna scraped through that time, so Morelia will be looking for revenge.

Other games:

Jaguares vs. Queretaro (Sat. 6 pm)
Monterrey vs. Chivas (Sat 6 pm)
San Luis vs. Tigres UANL (Sat 8 pm)
Pachuca vs. Estudiantes Tecos (Sat 8 pm)
Atlas vs. America (Sat 9:45 pm)
Atlante vs. Toluca (Sat 10 pm)
Club Tijuana vs. Cruz Azul (Sun 3 pm)

All times are Eastern Time

By Tom Marshall (@MexicoWorldCup)