Mexico's national soccer team at risk of not going to the World Cup. What happened to the CONCACAF Giant?

The Mexican national soccer team is in danger of not going to the World Cup and everyone is wondering, what happened to the CONCACAF Giant? The answers are many, but those responsible are few. 

And if there is something that the organizations that manage Mexican soccer seem to lack, it is the ability to take responsibility. But, let's take it one step at a time.

The "Los Cachirules" scandal 

Many of us who were born in the second half of the 1980s were not aware that the Mexican national soccer team did not attend the World Cup in Italy in 1990.

We were too young at that time to know the causes, but suffice it to say that at that time the Mexican Soccer Federation failed to follow the most basic rules of the sport. 

On that occasion, the Mexican federation falsified the ages of the players in order to have a certain advantage during the qualifying matches for the Under 20 World Cup. 

The nickname Cachirules was given to them because a Mexican television actor known as "Cachirulo" played a character much younger than his actual age. 

The punishment? Exemplary. FIFA banned Mexico from all official tournaments. And you'd think these Mexican soccer governing bodies would have learned their lesson. But they didn't.  

What happened to the CONCACAF Giant? Ask the directors of Mexican soccer

For those of us who started following the World Cup after the USA 94 World Cup, it was a fact that the Mexican team was the CONCACAF Giant.

Every four years, “El Tri” made it through the qualifying rounds of their confederation with ease. 

And this was not unusual, since Liga MX had already been in existence for 51 years and had long since become a profitable business. 

Therefore, Mexico's soccer level was higher than that of the other countries with which it shared a confederation. However, as time went by, the hand of the Mexican soccer directors began to make this giant become smaller and smaller. 

The reason? Simple. Ambition.

Why is the CONCACAF Giant asleep? 

More importantly, why hold Mexican soccer directors accountable? 

There are several reasons, but some of the main ones are: not having a system of accompaniment that leads young talents to professionalism. 

Because if they already know how to kick a ball and they are 17 years old, then they can be sold and money can be made with them. 

And in some cases, they have gone further. Until 2020, something called "Pacto de Caballeros" (Gentlemen's Agreement) was fully accepted in Mexican soccer. But as gentlemen, they only had the name. 

This practice consisted of the fact that, when a player's contract with a Mexican team ended, he could not negotiate with another Mexican club without the authorization of the entity to which he belonged. 

Even if he made contact with interested teams, the board for which he play (or played) determined where he would be transferred to.

Another reason why Mexico is almost out of the World Cup in Qatar is that there has never, or almost never been continuity in the processes between one World Cup and another. 

It is very common for the Mexican Soccer Federation to hire several coaches in the same World Cup process, in search of immediate results. 

We have seen the consequences since 1994. In that process alone there were 3 coaches. And it didn't stop there, in the 1998 World Cup process, 3 coaches again. In Korea-Japan, the same thing. 

For South Africa 2010, there were 5. And for Brazil 2014, 4 coaches. 

All because of the impatience of the directors to develop an intelligent process that would allow the players to develop their full potential.

Therefore, the reason why Mexico runs the risk of not going to the World Cup is the responsibility of the players and coaching staff, but above all, of the ambition of the Mexican soccer directors.