The punishment of the Cachirules deprived Mexico of playing the World Cup 1990

Last update 12 December, 2022 por Alberto Llopis

Mexico is a classic of the World Cup, especially the latest editions. Desde 1986, year in which the World Cup was held in the Aztec country, Mexicans have only missed one edition, to from Italia 1990, and it was not for sporting reasons. The history of “cachirules punishment“, He left the Mexican team at that time commanded Hugo Sánchez, outside the Italian event. What is that?, what happened? Keep reading.

The punishment of the Cachirules, a botch that cost Mexico not to play in Italy 1990

“cachirulo”, was a Hall of Famer who appeared in Mexican television back in the early 70. It was an adult, the actor Enrique Alonso, He is masquerading and acted as a child and was dedicated to making happy succeeding generations from Mexico. En 1988, a phase of qualifying for the World Youth 1989, it was discovered that four players exceeded the legal age to participate in this phase, let none of those four was not approached youth.

That's why the term “Cachirules”, because like the endearing Actor, They pretended to have much less age that really had. In Mexico to practice casting elderly people in lower competitions is called do “one Cachirulo”.

Total the World 1989 was going to be held in Saudi Arabia and Mexico had to play a tie in Guatemala in April 1988. The FIFA, set in 20 the maximum age years and warned that it would be inflexible with the country to submit fraudulent players age, after it had almost become a habit to present more veteran players than playing, especially in the African teams (fact that still happens in the XXI century).

In this eliminator, Mexico won all their matches eliminating Guyana and Guatemala and obtained their passage to the semifinal of the qualifying phase by CONCACAF. The bad came when a Mexican journalist, He discovered in a yearbook published by the Mexican Football Federation itself, the age of certain players did not agree with the application submitted to the FIFA. Let aside from cheating, They had made a real botch, providing the data themselves to get caught them.

FIFA was relentless with the trap of the Mexicans

The news, reached media overtones and reached the ears of the Guatemalan Federation, which quickly denounced the Mexicans and claimed CONCACAF. Verification that Mexico had falsified the ages of these players, They were quickly excluded from the tie and punished. The heads rolled and there were several Mexican directors who were disqualified for life. Guatemala indeed agreed to the next round but failed to qualify for the World. The thing was not there and the action “Cachirules” He went much further.

The FIFA not only endorsed the two-year sanction imposed on the Mexican youth teams, but also extended it to any team from the Aztec country, including as Olympic selection and absolute. this sanction, prevented Mexicans from participating in the Seoul Olympics 1988 which were already qualified and participation in the World 1990, held in Italy. The world football governing body was inflexible and deprived a generation of hobnobbing among the largest. The issue of “Cachirules” It cost him dearly Mexico.