The president of Concacaf Victor Montagliani chatted in an exclusive interview with Fernando Palomo from ESPN on the chances of Liga MX clubs returning to the Copa Libertadores. The head of the body that governs football in the region clarified that the return of Mexican teams to the South American competition will go through the confederations and not the leagues.
Concacaf President Victor Montagliani spoke exclusively with ESPN. Getty Images
Montagliani said that they are focused on increasing the level of the ‘Concachampions’ and stressed that the participation of Aztec clubs in a Conmebol tournament will depend on negotiations between confederations.
“For me when they talk about competitions between clubs, I am not going to talk to the clubs, they are discussions at the confederation level. For a club or a league to talk to a confederation, for me it is not correct and we are focused on our Champions League ”, he said.
On the other hand, regarding the imminent merger between Liga MX and MLS, the president of Concacaf acknowledged that there are possibilities for both competitions to unite and assured that this new league does not represent 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 an issue 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 win against Ulsan Hyundai FC, Montagliani praised the level of the feline team and he considered that those led by Ricardo Ferretti have a real chance of advancing to the Grand Final.
“I think they are in good shape. Gignac is at a great level and I think they are going to have a great game against Palmeiras. I think they have a great chance of advancing to the Final, “he said.
Lastly, Victor Montagliani spoke about the changes in the Champions League format and pointed out that the main objective behind the modification is to raise the level of the clubs and national teams.
“For us it is to grow at a football level. 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 is to increase the level, “he said.
