Costa Rica’s most successful football club, Alajuelense, is demanding a spot in next summer’s Club World Cup and has warned FIFA it will pursue legal action if its request is denied.
The club, which boasts 30 league titles, is urging FIFA to enforce its rule barring clubs with shared ownership from competing in the tournament.
“The claim is based on the eligibility principles set out in the tournament’s rules,” Alajuelense said in a statement.
Spokesman Marco Vazquez pointed out that Mexican clubs Leon and Pachuca, both owned by Jesús Martínez of Grupo Pachuca, are in violation of this rule.
“FIFA’s rule is clear—clubs with multi-ownership cannot compete,” Vazquez said Wednesday. “We’re asking FIFA to uphold its own regulations.”
The tournament, which FIFA will expand from seven teams to 32, is set to take place in the United States from June to July next year. However, FIFPRO has warned that a players’ strike remains a possibility due to concerns over the physical and mental toll of an increasingly packed schedule.
Teams that qualified expect to earn millions in FIFA prize money at the tournament.
Vazquez said Alajuelense has “hired a law firm in Spain, and they have all the details” of the team’s potential legal action.
FIFA has not publicly reacted to the team’s announcement and did not immediately answer a request for comment.
Alajuelense is the best-ranked team in Central America for the CONCACAF but 40th overall in the region.
CONCACAF has four spots in the Club World Cup. The teams that qualified are: the Seattle Sounders, Monterrey, Leon and Pachuca. Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami will participate as a guest of the host.
All five clubs were announced for the Dec. 5 draw in Miami.
In Mexico, besides Leon and Pachuca, there are another two companies that own two or more clubs in the first division. Grupo Caliente owns Tijuana and Queretaro, while Grupo Orlegi controls Atlas and Santos. TV Azteca owns Mazatlan and has partial ownership of Puebla.
On May 2023, the Liga MX announced that multi-ownership will be forbidden but gave owners four years to sell.
Jesus Martinez Murguia, who runs the Leon club, said they will sell part of the team to comply with the rules but will still have a partial ownership.