Chivas captain Víctor Guzmán to miss Clásico Tapatío after América red card

Saturday’s Clásico Nacional was a day to forget for supporters of Chivas Guadalajara. Not only were they comprehensively beaten by rivals America, captain and current top scorer Víctor Guzmán saw red after the final whistle for confronting the referee.

Guzman sought out referee Marco Ortiz Nava to voice frustrations with the game’s officiating. It has not been confirmed exactly what the 28-year-old told the referee but his comments earnt a red card, and a suspension for a key upcoming fixture.

Víctor Guzmán out for Atlas clash

The Chivas captain has been one of the side’s best performers this year as they look to right a disappointing showing in the Liga MX Apertura. The midfielder leads the team in the scoring charts with five goals in 11 games so far and has worn the captain’s armband for most of this season.

However Guzmán’s show of ill-discipline in a feisty derby game on Saturday means that he will now miss Chivas’ upcoming game against their city rivals. They travel to fellow Guadalajara side Atlas on Saturday, 1 April for the first Clásico Tapatío of this campaign.

His suspension could be a big miss against an in-form Atlas side who beat Puebla 4-0 in their most recent fixture.

Controversial scenes at Estadio Akron

Guzman’s post-match protestations were not the only moment of controversy from the Clasico Nacional. After nodding home his side’s fourth goal of the game, America striker Henry Martin celebrated in front of the home fans by imitating a dog urinating on the goal line.

The striker received a yellow card for the celebration and his provocative gesture served to spark a late comeback attempt from the home side. Martin’s goal put America 4-0 up but Chivas rallied to score twice to put the game back in contention for the final 20 minutes.

However they were unable to punish Martin for his show of derby day antagonism.