Tuca Ferretti, Miguel Herrera exchange barbs before Liguilla Semifinals

The match between Tigres and Tijuana isn’t scheduled to get underway until Thursday, however that hasn’t stopped their managers from verbally sparring. In his press conference earlier today, Tigres’ manager Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti said the following when asked about Tijuana’s Miguel “Piojo” Herrera:

“El Piojo is truly my idol, suddenly he is managing one team and is contracted to coach another, I would like to know how to do this. I do that here and they’d hang me from the highest pole and the weakest part you have, incredible. Piojito is my idol.” Ferretti told while laughing, eliciting laughter from the journalists covering the press conference. This was a rather snarky reference to the speculation that Herrera will leave Tijuana when the season is over to fill the head coaching vacancy with Club America.

Herrera wasn’t one to back down though (if you know anything about Miguel Herrera, it’s that he doesn’t back down ever). Herrera retorted:

“I will answer with what he once told me: Keep your trap shut ‘Tuca’ keep your trap shut. I don’t need to say it, I have arranged nothing with no one.”

“Tuca is a great coach, today I have to respect him, he is an extraordinary guy, but show me the contract to see who signed it, the only contract I have is through December with Xolos.”

Yikes.

This will add yet another layer of intrigue to what should already be one of the best matchups of the Liguilla. The first leg is scheduled to be played in Nuevo Leon on Thursday.