Pachuca part ways with Almada before Club World Cup
Guillermo Almada led Pachuca to the Concacaf Champions Cup title last year. (EPA Images pic)
PACHUCA : CF Pachuca have parted ways with manager Guillermo Almada weeks before they kick off their Club World Cup campaign, the Mexican club said today.
Uruguayan Almada, who joined three-and-a-half years ago, led Pachuca to the Concacaf Champions Cup title last year, sealing their place in the Club World Cup.
Pachuca also reached the Fifa Intercontinental Cup in December, where they lost to Real Madrid.
The manager bid an emotional farewell to players, staff and directors today, Pachuca said in a statement, without giving a reason for his departure.
In March, Fifa said Liga MX sides Pachuca and Club Leon had failed to meet criteria on multi-club ownership and removed Leon from the Club World Cup.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected Leon's appeal against the removal earlier this month.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
The right name for the Gulf of Mexico
US president Donald Trump's executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America is an act of geographical chest-thumping. But imagine if he added a key word and called it the Gulf of North America. That simple tweak would trigger a meaningful shift in perspective. The gulf's current name dates to the mid-sixteenth century, coined by Spanish cartographers mapping the waters of New Spain, then a colony that encompassed much of present-day Mexico and parts of the southern US. It is, in other words, a legacy of European imperialism. True to his worldview, Trump envisions a new American imperialism, extending from Panama to Greenland. Geographically, the claim is a draw: depending on how you measure it, the US and Mexico have roughly the same amount of coastline along the gulf. What is clear is that the body of water is essentially enclosed by North America – an integral part of the Western hemisphere. Renaming it the Gulf of North America would serve as a reminder of that. It would also be a historic way for Trump to mark the first Fifa World Cup hosted by the three North American countries – Mexico, the US, and Canada – in 2026. To understand the Americas' strategic importance in the twenty-first century, we must begin with their people. By mid-century, nearly one in three US residents will trace their heritage to Latin America, just as many once traced theirs to Europe. Economically, culturally, and politically, Americans of Hispanic origin will be more oriented towards Latin America, rather than towards Europe or Asia. Nearly 60% of Latinos in the US are of Mexican descent, laying a foundation for greater cross-border integration. While Trump has issued an executive order designating English as the official language of the US, Spanish is certainly not going away. Hundreds of millions of people in countries with close ties to the US speak it – Miami, for example, is often described as Latin America's economic capital. In states like Texas, California, and Florida, Spanish-English bilingualism is often a practical necessity for business, education, and governance. Ironically, Trump has helped advance North American economic integration by accelerating the turn towards industrial policy that began with president Barack Obama's auto-industry bailout and US$90 billion investment in clean energy. To be sure, Trump's version relied on a different strategy: tariffs, tax cuts, and deregulation. His successor, Joe Biden, combined these approaches – retaining Trump's tariffs while rebuilding infrastructure and subsidising green and high-tech industries. Both Trump and Biden encouraged nearshoring in response to geopolitical rivalry with China and post-pandemic supply-chain shocks. Now, Trump is doubling down on his first-term trade and economic policies. Mexico has been a major beneficiary of this shift. In 2023, it overtook China to become the largest US trade partner, with its total goods trade reaching nearly US$800 billion. In 2024, Mexico received more than US$35 billion in foreign direct investment, part of a larger nearshoring trend in Latin America. US firms are increasingly investing in Mexico, as well as countries in Central and South America, not just due to their proximity, but also because they are young, digitally connected, and economically ambitious. Even with rising US protectionism, the region's geographic and cultural alignment makes it a better bet than Europe or Asia for companies producing goods and services for the US market. Politically, however, Trump often paints the region as a cesspool of criminality, focussing on gangs and drug trafficking. He is pressuring Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum to stop the flow of drugs and people over the border, using his 25% tariff on Mexican auto, steel, and aluminum exports as a powerful bargaining chip. Moreover, Trump frames problems in a way that allows him to step in with 'solutions' that suit his interests and, crucially, can be easily spun into political wins. For example, by emphasising the China-Mexico fentanyl pipeline – where China supplies precursor chemicals that Mexican cartels use to manufacture the drug – Trump justifies his trade war on both countries. Likewise, Trump has focussed his ire on the relatively small number of undocumented migrants in the US who have committed crimes – a problem that he can 'address' with dramatic mass deportations of alleged Latin American gang members. Once this performative phase ends, Trump will almost certainly revive and take credit for the package of immigration reforms contained in last year's bipartisan border-security bill, which the Republicans killed at Trump's behest, so that he could continue campaigning on illegal immigration. These reforms could lay the groundwork for a US-Mexico migration agreement that would create a more fluid visa system for provisional workers. But decreasing immigration in the long term requires strengthening the Mexican economy and improving the government's ability to fight corruption and protect its citizens. Meanwhile, demographic forces will continue to do their work. American Latinos will build businesses that connect communities across the Western hemisphere. Cultural and educational exchanges will grow organically. Even as many governments implement stricter visa rules, US citizens can still travel, study, and retire in Mexico and other Latin American countries. When Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost became Pope Leo XIV, US newspapers trumpeted the first American pope. But the Vatican News heralded the arrival of the 'second Roman Pontiff – after Pope Francis – from the Americas'. The point was not that Prevost had spent decades in Peru and had become a naturalised Peruvian citizen. It was that Pope Francis was from South America, and Pope Leo 'is from the northern part of the continent'. Viewing the Americas as one continent is a useful way to see the world – an outlook that will probably gain ground this century. Trump is unlikely to accept my suggestion about the Gulf of North America. But his successor might. Regardless of the name, it is the geographic and economic reality. Anne-Marie Slaughter, a former director of policy planning in the US state department, is CEO of the think tank New America and professor emerita of politics and international affairs at Princeton University. The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
The Star
8 hours ago
- The Star
Soccer-Belgium's Courtois doubtful for World Cup qualifiers due to back problem
(Reuters) -Belgium's Real Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtois has been diagnosed with a back problem ahead of two World Cup qualifiers and the start of the Club World Cup, his LaLiga club said on Sunday. According to Spanish media, the 33-year-old requires a week of rest and treatment and will miss Belgium's opening Group J qualifiers away to North Macedonia on Friday and at home to Wales the following Monday. However, he should be available for Real Madrid's opening Club World Cup match against Al-Hilal in Miami on June 18. Courtois has been diagnosed with sacroiliitis, which is an inflammation of the joints connecting the lower spine to the pelvis, causing pain and stiffness in the back and hips. (Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)
Free Malaysia Today
16 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
LAFC qualify for Club World Cup with win over Club America
LAFC's win earned them a spot in the first edition of Fifa's 32-team Club World Cup. (AP pic) LOS ANGELES : Denis Bouanga grabbed a dramatic extra-time winner to send Los Angeles FC into the Club World Cup with a 2-1 win over Mexico's Club America today. The team from Mexico City looked to have booked their place – and the guaranteed US$9.5 million participation reward – after a penalty from former LAFC player Brian Rodriguez in the 64th minute. But Brazilian Igor Jesus's 89th minute header for LAFC took the game into extra-time and five minutes from the end of the second period Bouanga drilled home the dramatic winner. It was a game with high stakes played in front of a boisterous crowd divided between the two teams and the tension was palpable from the outset. But it was the Californian club, who only began life in MLS seven years ago, who triumphed and earned a spot in the first edition of the expanded 32-team Fifa tournament. LAFC will line up in Group D of the Club World Cup, where they will face Premier League side Chelsea, Brazil's Flamengo and Esperance Tunis of Tunisia in the tournament which gets under way on June 14. The one-off 'play-in' match came about following Fifa's decision to ban Mexican club Leon from the tournament. Leon were barred because the club is owned by Grupo Pachuca, which also controls Liga MX side Pachuca, who are also taking part in the tournament. LAFC were given the chance on the basis of finishing as runners-up to Leon in the 2023 Concacaf Champions League. America, founded 108 years ago, were handed the opportunity due to their status as the 'top-ranked team' in confederation rankings. While LAFC had the nominal home field advantage, at their BMO Stadium, California is home to many Club America fans and the result was a de facto neutral venue. The atmosphere was electric but chances were rare in the opening half with the Mexican team enjoying the better possession but causing few problems for LA's former France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. But when Mark Delgado's challenge on Erick Sanchez in the box was ruled a foul, after a VAR review, substitute Rodriguez kept his cool and sent Lloris the wrong way to put America ahead. Rodriguez had a chance to secure the outcome 10 minutes later but he floated his shot wide. The introduction of former France and Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud in the 74th minute proved to be decisive, however, with the 38-year-old's presence causing plenty of problems for the America backline. Giroud's improvised shot with the outside of his foot forced Luis Malagon into a save and moments later the Club America keeper kept out a header from the Frenchman. With just a minute of normal time remaining, LAFC grabbed a lifeline when a Bouanga corner was met with a thundering header from Jesus. LAFC almost won the game in regulation but Malagon did brilliantly to keep out a cross/shot from Timothy Tillman that was heading towards the top corner. Then it was extra-time and with penalties looming, Frankie Amaya fed a ball in to Giroud on the edge of the box who laid off to the on-rushing Bouanga whose fierce shot took a wicked deflection and flashed past the helpless Malagon. The France-born Gabon international has scored 80 goals for LA, in all competitions, since joining the club from St Etienne in 2022 but none more valuable than this one. The win ensures that the tournament host nation will have three competing teams from Major League Soccer with the Seattle Sounders and Inter Miami already in the competition. The tournament concludes with a final in MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 13 with the winner taking home over US$100 million.
