After FIFA confirmed the expulsion of Club León from the 2025 Club World Cup for violating the rules regarding multi-ownership, many clubs are vying for the vacant spot. Among them is Alajuelense from Costa Rica, which rebelled against the comments of Víctor Montaglini (president of CONMEBOL) and claimed its spot in the tournament.

CONCACAF president showed support for Club León

Right now, Alajuelense is the club best positioned to take the vacant spot left by Club León in the Club World Cup, as it is the team with the highest current ranking in CONCACAF… excluding clubs from MLS and Liga MX, which have already been assigned all the spots they are entitled to. However, Montagliani publicly showed support for Club León, claiming that they had earned their place as the ConcaChampions champions.

“I support León because they won the ConcaChampions on the field. We hope that at the end of this legal process, León will be allowed to play in the Club World Cup,” confessed Víctor Montagliani, president of CONCACAF, during an interview with TUDN México. His words were immediately condemned by Alajuelense.

Alajuelense condemns the comments of the president of CONCACAF

This is the statement issued by Alajuelense: “In these statements, Mr. Montagliani expressed his explicit support for Club León—an institution currently excluded by FIFA due to violations of integrity rules related to multi-ownership—and expressed his desire for the club to be reinstated in the tournament, disregarding the ongoing legal process before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS), initiated by our institution.”

They also added the following: “Both Liga Deportiva Alajuelense and Club León are part of CONCACAF. Therefore, the statements of the president of the Confederation constitute a serious transgression of the duty of neutrality, the principle of impartiality, and the institutional loyalty that should govern the actions of any international sports authority.” Meanwhile, FIFA has yet to comment on the matter, and for now, we don’t know which team will take the spot of Club León in the 2025 Club World Cup.