CONCACAF WORLD CUP QUALIFYING
Mexico's Gerardo Martino could miss World Cup qualifying games
The coach of the Mexico national team will undergo eye surgery and will not be able to travel with the team for the games against Jamaica and Panama.
Gerardo Martino is ready to coach the Mexico national team for the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers for the first time in his career since arriving in January 2019. El Tri will host the Jamaica national team at the Azteca stadium on Thursday night in the final round of the round-robin tournament.
Martino could take medical leave after tonight
Unfortunately for Martino, he might not be able to travel with the Mexican national team for the next two road games when they play against Costa Rica (5 September) and Panama (8 September). AS has learned that the veteran manager has a problem with his eyesight and he might need surgery to fix the problem.
So after tonight’s game against Jamaica, Martino will undergo a medical examination to determine the severity of his problem, but most likely he will need surgery and will then miss Mexico’s next two World Cup qualifying matches. Even though it is a minor surgery, he would have to stay in Mexico for observation.
In the case that the Argentine manager is unable to travel, Jorge Theiler and Norberto Scoponi, who are the assistant managers, will take over the job against Costa Rica and Panama. Martino would expect to return to manage the team during the FIFA international break of October.