Víctor Montagliani, the president of CONCACAF, revealed that the possible return of the MX League teams will depend on the negotiations at the confederation level.
President of CONCACAF Victor Montagliani I spoke in an exclusive interview with Fernando Palomo from ESPN with the chances of the MX League clubs returning to the Copa Libertadores. The head of the body that governs football in the region said that the return of Mexican teams to South American competition will go through confederations and not leagues.
Montagliani says he is focusing on raising the level of “Concachampions” and stressed that the participation of Aztec clubs in a Conmebol tournament will depend on negotiations between the confederations.
“For me, when I talk about competitions between clubs, I’m not going to talk to clubs, there are discussions at the confederation level. For a club or a league to talk to a confederation, for me it is not fair and we focus on our Champions League “, he said.
On the other hand, regarding the imminent merger between the MX League and MLS, the President of CONCACAF acknowledged that there are possibilities for both competitions to be united and assured that this new league does not pose a threat to the interests of the region.
“The Champions League is the only competition that can qualify for the Club World Cup. For us it is not a threat (merger), it is a problem that will have a possibility in the future, we are already at the table talking to the leagues “, he commented.
Regarding Tigres’ debut in the Club World Cup with a 2-1 victory against Ulsan Hyundai FC, Montagliani praised the level of the feline team and considered that those led by Ricardo Ferretti have a real chance of advancing to the Grand Final.
“I think I’m in good shape. Gignac is at an excellent level and I think they will have a great game against Palmeiras. I think they have a great chance to advance to the final, “he said.
Finally, Victor Montagliani spoke about the changes in the format of the Champions League and stressed that the main objective behind the change is to raise the level of clubs and national teams.
“For us it is to grow at the level of football. We need to grow at the national team level and also at the club level. There are more games for everyone, not only for Central America but also for the Caribbean and the North, it’s to increase the level, “he said.