Liga MX suspended all of its week 10 matches "after the referees union unilaterally said it would not provide its services, according to a brief statement from the league on Friday night," according to Tom Marshall of ESPN.com. Veracruz was "due to kick off" a match against Puebla at 10pm, and "while officials showed up for the game," it did not go ahead as planned. The referees went on strike "following two incidents in Copa MX midweek in which referees showed red cards in separate games to Club America's Pablo Aguilar and Toluca's Enrique Triverio for threatening behavior" toward the officials. The association "demanded a strong reaction from league authorities." Liga MX President Enrique Bonilla and Mexican Football Federation (FMF) President Decio De María announced that Aguilar "would be suspended for 10 Liga MX games and Triverio for eight, but the referees' association confirmed its strike after the news and vowed to not show up for the rest of the weekend games" (ESPN.com, 3/11).
'POWERFUL MESSAGE': Marshall also noted if "complaints by Liga MX referees about their treatment by players and authorities were being swatted away without too much concern, the officials certainly have people's attention now." The strike is a "powerful message that extends way beyond Liga MX's officiating." In a league in which freedom of contract does not "fully exist," players are "sometimes traded without their consent and institutions have bought their way back after being relegated," the referees' strike is a "reminder of the influence a unified, independent and organized body can have." The strike comes at a time when Atlas captain Rafa Márquez is "laying the groundwork for an independent players' union to help end the issues outlined above, as well as others." If the referees "can come together," imagine the threat Márquez's union could pose to Mexican football's "status quo" (ESPN.com, 3/11). In Mexico City, Minelli Atayde reported the matter "remains unresolved, as referees wait to hear the position of Liga MX club owners." Club execs "were expected to meet late Sunday to discuss the strike and consider the referees' requests" (LA AFICIÓN, 3/11).
EX-PRESIDENT BACKS REFS: LA AFICIÓN reported former Mexico President Felipe Calderón "expressed his support for Liga MX referees in a tweet." Calderón responded to a tweet by former politician Miguel B. Treviño, who said, "Week 10 of Liga MX is an excellent opportunity for us to understand the importance of a culture of legality." Calderón responded, "And of respected referees" (LA AFICIÓN, 3/11).
