All the controversies of Cruz Azul in the last 10 tournaments: layoffs, parties and more

Cruz Azul is one of the biggest and winning teams in the history of Mexican soccer, however, this club has been characterized in recent years by being involved in several controversies, both on and off the field.

Below we show you some of the most scandalous situations that have occurred within the cement team in the last ten tournaments.

More news about Liga MX

One of Cruz Azul's most recent controversies arose in the Apertura 2020 tournament. La Maquina Celeste had practically secured its place in the grand final after beating Pumas by a score of 4-0. However, in the return, the cement workers fell due to the same result and were eliminated in a surprising way by those from the UNAM. Journalist Héctor Huerta, from the ESPN network, suggested that the La Noria players received calls and “received temptations through their ears.” To date, no corruption has been proven.

In the Guardianes 2021 tournament, Juan Reynoso managed to end the Machine's 23-year drought without winning the Liga MX title. Just a few months after lifting the cup, the cement board fired the Peruvian coach in a move that did not seem very logical. The coach sued the club for unjustified dismissal.

The process of Martín Anselmi at the head of Cruz Azul has started with a monumental stain. After an argument between coach and player, Juan Escobar, one of the team's figures, was released from the cement team. Anselmi maintained that the footballer was the one who decided to look for new challenges.

Cruz Azul had a 2023 full of failures. In Apertura 2023, while the team added one bad result after another, several players on the squad attended the party of Carlos Salcedo, star reinforcement for that semester. This celebration took place just after a painful defeat against Querétaro.

In January 2023, Cruz Azul and Julio César Domínguez were in the eye of the hurricane after photos from the defender's birthday party went viral. The children's celebration had the theme of drug trafficking and in the images you could see children from the cement club's quarry dressed with toy rifles, tactical clothing and wearing caps that referred to drug groups.

During the last tournaments, the Cruz Azul board has opted for players with few credentials who end up leaving the club shortly after. On this list there are elements such as Ramiro Carrera, Augusto Lotti, Moisés Vieira, Gonzalo Carneiro, Pablo Ceppelini, Álex Castro, Rómulo Otero, Luis Abram and Lucas Passerini.

Cruz Azul struggled a lot to win its ninth Liga MX title. However, instead of building a vintage team, the board released several of the figures who lifted the cup. The team no longer includes Jesús Corona, Sebastián Jurado, Jaiber Jiménez, Julio César Domínguez, Alexis Peña, Joaquín Martínez, Adrián Aldrete, Pablo Aguilar, Juan Escobar, Luis Romo, Elías Hernández, Misael Domínguez, Yoshimar Yotún, Rafael Baca, Roberto Alvarado, Pol Fernández, Orbelín Pineda, Walter Montoya, Bryan Angulo, Santiago Jiménez and Jonathan 'Cabecita' Rodríguez.

The Uruguayan coach Diego Aguirre arrived at the Machine after the departure of Reynoso. The South American coach had a series of failures in his previous teams and even so the board opted for his signing. He coached 11 games, won two, drew three and lost six. His team was the one that suffered that 7-0 defeat against América in the Apertura 2022.

Despite having won the Guardianes 2021 title, the Cruz Azul fans continued to pressure the board to release three players they blamed for the poor results: Rafael Baca, Julio Domínguez and Jesús Corona. The three elements left the squad for Apertura 2023. Things did not change and the Machine recorded a terrible tournament.

Aside from the problems on the field, Cruz Azul has had to deal with several conflicts off it. The dispute between two groups vying for control of the cooperative has continued in recent years and has escalated to the point of reaching confrontations. In April 2022, a brawl occurred inside the cement plant in Tula, Hidalgo, which left at least eight people dead.

CONTINUE READING: All the UEFA Champions League finals of the 21st Century, ranked