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With over $40 million in prizes, the 2024 Leagues Cup is the most lucrative club competition sanctioned by Concacaf, one of the six continental governing bodies for association football under the FIFA banner. Part of the Leagues Cup’s allure is its three qualification spots for Concacaf Champions Cup and the further opportunity to earn a spot in FIFA’s lucrative Club World Cup.
Every club associated with Concacaf in all three countries —the USA, Canada, and Mexico—should be able to aspire equally to qualify for the Concacaf Champions Cup based on sporting merit, but they can’t. Concacaf has endorsed Liga MX and MLS’ closed Leagues Cup tournament in a manner that directly contradicts FIFA and Concacaf’s declared “universal principles” of the game.
The Flaws of the Leagues Cup
In 2021, the President of CONCACAF, Victor Montagliani, eloquently expressed the principles of fair competition when he stated, along with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the presidents of five other continental confederations, “Participation in global and continental competitions should always be won on the pitch.”
So why does Concacaf continue to reward a closed monopolistic competition like the Leagues Cup with qualification spots in the Concacaf Champions Cup instead of granting spots to open competitions available to all association members?
The Leagues Cup exclusivity is fundamentally flawed and betrays the bedrock principles of association soccer endorsed by Concacaf’s Montagliani. Not to mention, the tournament is only played in the United States and Canada, putting Mexican teams at a blatant disadvantage in earning prize money or one of three qualification spots for the Concacaf Champions Cup.
MLS & Liga MX: The Leagues Cup hypocrisy
Concacaf has forgotten it is an association-based governing body designed to benefit the whole of soccer. Instead, Concacaf seems more interested in coddling a few ultra-wealthy league owners who…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/why-its-time-to-end-the-mls-liga-mx-leagues-cup-monopoly/
Author : Brian Costin
Publish date : 2024-07-25 22:00:00
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