Mexico head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino has accused Club América star Alejandro Zendejas of “extortion” as the bizarre saga involving the dual-national took another turn on Wednesday night.
Zendejas was born in Mexico and raised in Texas. He represented the U.S. at the Under-17 level, including the 2015 U-17 World Cup, before switching his allegiance to Mexico.
The 24-year-old played in two friendlies for the Mexico senior team, in October 2021 and April 2022, which would have required him to file a one-time switch with FIFA due to his previous participation with the U.S. youth national team.
Only, it seems that Zendejas maybe didn’t file that one-time switch.
The in-form winger wasn’t called up for Mexico’s squad for Wednesday night’s friendly against Paraguay (a game El Tri lost 1-0), and reports began to emerge that his absence was due to his refusal to sign a document committing to Mexico over the USMNT.
But what, exactly would this document have been? If it was a one-time switch with FIFA, then how could he have played for Mexico in those two friendlies?
As it turns out, the answer could be: illegally. ESPN confirmed last week that FIFA was investigating the situation, with Mexico vulnerable to potential sanctions.
Martino hits out at Zendejas
Let’s return to Wednesday night, when Martino was quizzed on the Zendejas affair by TUDN. The manager launched an extraordinary accusation that the winger was trying to extort Mexico by saying he would only sign if he were guaranteed a World Cup roster spot.
“The player had to sign a document and he didn’t want to sign it,” Martino charged.
“There is no federation problem, nor a coach problem. His demand or his doubt is whether or not he is going to go to a World Cup and in that case I do not want a player who thinks that way. It’s almost an extortion.
“But the reality is that a document had to be signed, a federation transfer, and the footballer first said that he was going to sign it and then he did not sign it. That’s what they told me.”
Martino’s accusation appears to be a tacit admission that Zendejas never filed a one-time switch with FIFA. It would also seem to destroy any chance the winger has of returning to the Mexico national team setup as long as Martino is the coach.
As long as that switch wasn’t filed, Zendejas remains eligible to play for the USMNT.
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