Brizuela says Chivas will not play if Veracruz players aren't paid | OneFootball

The Veracruz first-team players announced on Wednesday through the Mexican Association of Footballers (AMFpro) that they will not play Friday against Tigres due to debts owed to them by the club.

The players have not been paid in several months and the club has not won any of their last 39 Liga MX matches.

“Footballers from the Tiburones Rojos del Veracruz have agreed not to play the next fixture of the 2019 Apertura against Tigres, a decision supported emphatically by the Mexican Footballers Association (AMFproMX) and all the footballers in the domestic game in solidarity with the clear interference of their labor rights,” read part of the statement released from AMFproMX on Wednesday.

Isaác Brizuela said that the clubs could go on strike if Veracruz owners do not come up with a solution by Friday, and that Chivas will support and defend the Veracruz players.

“If Veracruz does not comply with the pacts they have, it would be best (to stop all Liga MX play),” Brizuela said.

“It would be a very strong pact to stop Liga MX and solve these problems.

“The captains were on a call together, they are just going to tell us what they talked about. We (Chivas players) have talked about supporting Veracruz’s decision, if they decide not to play, we should support them.

However, Liga MX president Enrique Bonilla has warned that any club that refuses to play will be relegated.

“If the club [Veracruz] doesn’t play on Friday, the rule is clear: Any club that doesn’t turn up is relegated automatically,” Bonilla said on Tuesday.

There is a chance that the Veracruz U-20 side could face Tigres this Friday should the first-team players remain on strike.