Costa Rica Post

Pura Vida, Every Day
Saturday, Feb 28, 2026

Liga Deportiva Alajuelense Prepares Legal Challenge Against FIFA in TAS

The Costa Rican club is set to challenge FIFA, León, and Pachuca in a case involving ownership regulations in the upcoming Club World Cup.
Liga Deportiva Alajuelense is currently focused on training under the guidance of coach Alexandre Guimaraes as they pursue the leadership in the domestic league.

However, the club is simultaneously preparing legal strategies in anticipation of a crucial hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on April 23. This case marks a significant challenge for the Costa Rican team as they prepare to confront FIFA, León, and Pachuca over disputed ownership regulations in Mexican football.

Alajuelense has filed a complaint against FIFA at the CAS, highlighting the issue of multiple ownership in Mexican football—an allegation that had long been acknowledged but generally overlooked.

Mexican media have recently scrutinized the regulations concerning the Club World Cup, which explicitly prohibits multiple ownership among participating teams.

León and Pachuca's affiliations with Grupo Pachuca place them in a precarious position, raising questions about compliance with FIFA statutes established since 2008.

The Costa Rican club argues that it is the first non-Mexican and non-American team to appear in the FIFA rank for the Club World Cup concerning the CONCACAF region, claiming the right to replace any team excluded due to ownership conflicts.

When FIFA disregarded their initial claims, Alajuelense escalated the matter to the CAS, seeking to enforce its rights.

To advance its case, Alajuelense has engaged prestigious legal representation from Sportia Law, a law firm based in Spain, and appointed club executive León Weinstok to lead this legal effort.

Media interest surrounding the upcoming proceedings is intensifying, particularly in Costa Rica, with local journalists preparing to cover the hearings scheduled to take place in Madrid.

Tomás Guardia, the second vice president of Alajuelense, stated that the club is taking necessary actions to defend what it believes to be its rights regarding participation in the Club World Cup.

He emphasized that the club has adhered to all procedural guidelines and feels confident about its standing.

"We believe we have the right to participate in the Club World Cup, and now we will await the CAS's resolution, which is an independent entity," Guardia conveyed.

The club's board remains steadfast in their stance while maintaining a measured approach in public statements regarding the case.

Guardia remarked that the club's achievements in the Central American Cup and subsequent FIFA ranking have earned them a legitimate place in this dispute.

Alajuelense's supporters are closely watching the developments, particularly as León and Pachuca face exclusion from the Club World Cup following FIFA's acknowledgment of multiple ownership issues.

In this climate, internal support within Alajuelense appears strong, underscoring a collective stance behind their leadership in this legal endeavor.

This sense of unity was reflected when 'Transparencia Rojinegra', a movement of opposition within the club’s political landscape, issued a statement commending the leadership and backing the pursuit of a place in the upcoming Club World Cup.

As the court date approaches, Alajuelense finds itself at a pivotal moment, not only in the ongoing Liga Pro League but also in this significant legal confrontation with FIFA and the two Mexican clubs.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Mexico President Sheinbaum:
New York Braces for Major Snowstorm With Up to 18 Inches Forecast and Blizzard Warnings Issued
Mexican Military Kills CJNG Leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes as Violence Erupts Across Jalisco
US Supreme Court Voids Trump’s Emergency Tariff Plan, Reshaping Trade Power and Fiscal Risk
Carnival transforms Rio de Janeiro's streets with samba rhythms and lively celebrations
Cuba adopts electric tricycles for transport amid fuel shortages
Pentagon Reviews Anthropic Partnership After Claude AI Reportedly Used in Operation Targeting Nicolás Maduro
OpenAI and DeepCent Superintelligence Race: Artificial General Intelligence and AI Agents as a National Security Arms Race
Investigation Launched at Winter Olympics Over Ski Jumpers Injecting Hyaluronic Acid
Cuba Warns It Has Only Weeks of Oil Remaining as US Pressure Tightens
The AI Hiring Doom Loop — Algorithmic Recruiting Filters Out Top Talent and Rewards Average or Fake Candidates
U.S. winter storm triggers 13,000-plus flight cancellations and 160,000 power outages
Gold Jumps More Than 8% in a Week as the Dollar Slides Amid Greenland Tariff Dispute
Greenland, Gaza, and Global Leverage: Today’s 10 Power Stories Shaping Markets and Security
America’s Venezuela Oil Grip Meets China’s Demand: Market Power, Legal Shockwaves, and the New Rules of Energy Leverage
Cybercrime, Inc.: When Crime Becomes an Economy. How the World Accidentally Built a Twenty-Trillion-Dollar Criminal Economy
There is no sovereign immunity for poisoning millions with drugs.
President Trump Says United States Will Administer Venezuela Until a Secure Leadership Transition
Delta Force Identified as Unit Behind U.S. Operation That Captured Venezuela’s President
Trump Announces U.S. Large-Scale Strike on Venezuela, Declares President Maduro and Wife Captured
The Pilot Barricaded Himself in the Cockpit and Refused to Take Off: "We Are Not Leaving Until I Receive My Salary"
Hackers Are Hiding Malware in Open-Source Tools and IDE Extensions
Families Accuse OpenAI of Enabling ‘AI-Driven Delusions’ After Multiple Suicides
Maduro Tightens Security Measures as U.S. Strike Threat Intensifies
U.S. Issues Alert Declaring Venezuelan Airspace a Hazard Due to Escalating Security Conditions
A Decade of Innovation Stagnation at Apple: The Cook Era Critique
AI Researchers Claim Human-Level General Intelligence Is Already Here
Nancy Pelosi Finally Announces She Will Not Seek Re-Election, Signalling End of Long Congressional Career
White House Refutes Reports That US Targeting Military Sites in Venezuela
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Trump Accuses Colombia’s President of Drug-Leadership and Announces End to US Aid
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
FBI Strikes Deep in Maduro’s Financial Web with Bold Money-Laundering Indictments
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
New World Screwworm Creeps Within Seventy Miles of U.S. Border, Threatening Cattle Sector
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Trump Orders Third Lethal Strike on Drug-Trafficking Vessel as U.S. Expands Maritime Counter-Narcotics Operations
US Launches New Pilot Program to Accelerate eVTOL Air Taxi Deployment
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
×