FMF lifts La Corregidora ban; stadium doors still closed to fans for Sunday

It’s been a couple days now that the FMF announced via twitter that it was officially lifting the ban on the Corregidora a couple of days early in order for Gallos Blancos to host Toluca on Sunday with filled seats. The issue, however, is the club has yet to make an official announcement as to what the stadium’s status is for the weekend match. You figure if it was a fact, they would’ve announced it by now, not to mention ticket availability, which to this point is still non-existent.

Believe it or not (and I do, considering how bad Grupo Caliente has managed this franchise), Gallos Blancos still don’t meet the requirements imposed by FMF in order for the stadium to reopen its doors to fans. This according to state secretary Guadalupe Murguía.

“We still don’t have a specific reopening date because it’s necessary the team fulfills all the security conditions that have been required. That’s the condition and we’re still waiting on verification for all of these issues.” Murguía added, “there’s no decision in terms of a reopening.”

The original reopening date was for their March 19th clash with FC Juárez, but the league’s decision to grant this sooner date has forced the authorities to reshuffle and has put them to the test, a test they don’t seem too keen on passing.

I still don’t understand how in the world this is even a thing when they’ve had a full year - YES, A FULL YEAR - to plan and sort all the security issues and requirements out. They should know fully what they need by now, seeing as their original reopening date is two and a half weeks away. Taking that into consideration, how they can’t adjust for a surprise gift from the league two weeks before is simply beyond me. They should’ve all been in on the fact that there was a possibility at the very least the league would come to this decision. It seems it’s come as a complete surprise and government officials along with Gallos front office were completely blindsided.

This match has great potential to be a sellout, not just because it’s the club’s first game with attending fans in a year, but also the fact the rival is Toluca, a historic team who attracts fans wherever it goes. They should’ve been 100% ready for this scenario. The fact they’re not just adds another tally to Grupo Caliente’s unfit status for managing a club, at least this one.

Whether we’ll ultimately see fans on Sunday in La Corregidora remains to be seen, but the fact the club has been unable to confirm they meet the requirements imposed on them after last year’s brawl is flat out embarrassing. If you could be ready for March 19, why not March 5? Oh well, you reap what you sow. That proves true everytime this club is in the public eye.