Liga MX suspends Queretaro’s board of directors

Liga MX announced the suspension of Querétaro’s current board of directors for five years as one of the sanctions established for the pitched battle that took place at Estadio la Corregidora between the Gallos and Atlas supporters’ clubs, which left 26 people injured.

The president of Liga MX, Mikel Arriola, announced the sanction after the Extraordinary Assembly held remotely with the First Division teams.

The meeting was held early Tuesday morning at the facilities of the Mexican Soccer Federation, where Gabriel Solares, owner of the Gallos Blancos de Querétaro, and Adolfo Ríos, the team’s sporting director, were present.

With the sanction, Adolfo Ríos will be disqualified from holding any position on any other board within Mexican soccer.

Adolfo Ríos arrived in September 2021 at the head of the institution and one of the last decisions he made was the hiring of coach Hernán Cristante.

The holder is Solaz deportes, this allows Liga MX to preserve the team, through the following mechanisms: disqualify the current administration of the Querétaro club, formed by Gabriel Solares, Velarde, Taylor and Adolfo Ríos, for five years for any managerial activity related to soccer. The holder of the affiliation rights assumes the administration of the team, with the condition to put it up for sale no later than 2022. If it does not sell it, Liga MX will take over.

“That is why we are going to preserve the permanence of the club. Disqualify the current administration integrated by Gabriel Solares, Adolfo Ríos, Manuel Velarde and Greg Taylor for any management or administration with any club with the objective of not repeating it,” stated the president of Liga MX, Mikel Arriola.

In addition to the sanction against the board, Querétaro will have to play all its home games behind closed doors for a year, a punishment that also involves the women’s and youth teams. Los Gallos will have to pay a fine of 1,300,000,000 pesos and their supporters’ club will be banned for three years at home and one year away.

The Atlas supporters’ club will be banned for the next six months. In addition, Querétaro will forfeit its match against the red-and-black team on matchday 9 by a score of 0-3.

Last Saturday, March 5, Mexican soccer experienced one of its worst nights after Queretaro and Atlas fans engaged in a pitched battle inside the Corregidora Stadium, a situation that led to the suspension of the match. So far, ten people have been arrested for the crime of attempted homicide and will appear before a judge on Tuesday.

Queretaro authorities assured that those involved will be punished to the full extent of the law and will be looking for another 16 who could be arrested in the next few hours.