León, the reigning back-to-back champion in Mexico, have been informed they won’t be traveling to Belize in their CONCACAF Champions League run. Instead, they will have to make a trip to Costa Rica, where they will face Herediano.
After reviewing the Belmopan Bandits stadium in Belize, CONCACAF announced the team’s disqualification from the tournament, given that there is no other venue in the country that can offer proper guarantees for that match to be held.
León has already begun their activity in Group 7, defeating El Salvador’s Isidro Metapán 4-2 at Jorge Suárez stadium, and will have to adjust their schedule to face Herediano on August 27th and September 24th.
CONCACAF officials explained why Herediano was included in the tournament:
“The substitute team has to come from a country of the same Union, in this case, the UNCAF. The spot goes for the country with the best performance in the last tournament. Under that criteria, and given that Alajuelense and Saprissa are already in the CCL, Herediano was granted the spot in Group 7”, they indicated.
The tournament will give the chance to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup come December 2015. This year’s edition will have Cruz Azul representing CONCACAF.
