The FIFA International break in Mexico has not been a walk in the park, with several teams making headlines for the wrong reasons.
One of those teams is Veracruz, a Mexican team that has gone over a full calendar year without a win, who paid for their spot in the Mexican top-flight as a result of their poor performance on the pitch -added to some questionable rules allowed by the league-. Now, team owner Fidel Kuri -who has been involved in many controversies since he became Veracruz's main man- has not been able to come up with the money to pay all of his employees, and the team is in serious risk of being banished from the league.
Liga MX president Enrique Bonilla had to make a trip to Veracruz, where he met with the team's players. There, Bonilla found out that some of the eldest footballers, such as former Fulham defender Carlos Salcido, have been forced to loan money to their team-mates in order to help them pay their rent, while some of the team's footballers have been evicted from their homes due to unpaid rent bills.
In an interview with Mexican newspaper Record, Bonilla admitted that the league's hands are tied until the players file a proper complaint, but he also offered a solution to see that some of their wages are paid.
"What the league and the Mexican Federation offered to the team was to build a channel where they can talk with out Controversy Resolution Committee. When they file their complaint, Liga MX will be able to find an amount of money to help them cover some expenses. Maybe not 50%, but a portion of the debt," Bonilla said.
Veracruz's players have urged their owner to pay them 50% of his debt, or else they will forfeit next week's match against Tigres. Liga MX rules establish that any team that does not show up to play a game will be banned from the league, and that is what Bonilla and his crew are trying to prevent.
"I had a meeting with the players, I was in their locker room to talk about this. We will help them as soon as they file a complaint. When they do so, they will reveal the exact amount their team owner owes to them. That way, we will be able to figure a solution," Bonilla added.
Veracruz has not been able to win a single game out of their last 38 matches, which represents a world record for a top-flight team.
