Club America manager Fernando Ortiz has cautioned Mexico coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino to “watch what you’re saying” over comments he made about dual-national midfielder Alejandro Zendejas, who has reportedly yet to sign a one-time switch from the U.S. to Mexico.
After a 1-0 friendly loss to Paraguay on Wednesday, Martino said that “it’s almost an extortion” for the Club America midfielder to delay officially switching to Mexico, suggesting that him doing so was tied to whether he would be selected for this year’s World Cup.
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“You have to be careful with your words and how you use them when communicating,” Ortiz said during a press conference on Friday.
“You have to watch what you’re saying.”
FIFA are currently probing Zendejas’ eligibility after the former U.S. youth national team player subsequently featured for Mexico in two friendlies.
“The player needed to sign a document and the player didn’t want to sign it,” Mexico’s coach told TUDN after the defeat. “There is no problem with the federation, no problem with the manager, nothing.”
Without a one-time switch, he would have been ineligible to appear for El Tri. He was left off of the roster for the Paraguay game despite an impressive start to the Liga MX Apertura, where has scored three goals in 11 appearances.
“FIFA will investigate this matter, please understand that we are unable to comment further at this moment,” the governing body told ESPN Mexico last week.
