LIGA MX
Paunovic to exercise exit clause?
The season ended in disappointment for Chivas fans after quarter-final Liga MX Apertura 2023 elimination at the hands of Pumas.
Chivas Guadalajara have now gone 13 short seasons (Apertura-Clausura) without winning a title and 2017′s Clausura 2017 triumph under Matías Almeyda seems like a very long time ago for fans of the ‘Sacred Flock’.
A comprehensive 3-0 defeat in Mexico City at the hands of Pumas ended dreams of a second successie Liga MX final under Serbian head coach Veljko Paunovic with the side from Guadalajara outplayed by the university side.
The former Reading and Chicago Fire’s second tournament with Chivas has been overshadowed by off the field issues. Back in October, the ‘Sacred Flock’ struggled and put together a run of just one win in seven Apertura 2023 games which left Los Rojiblancos down in eighth in the regular-season standings.
Alexis Vega and Cristian ‘Chicote’ Calderón were told they won’t play for Chivas Guadalajara again, after they were banished from Veljko Paunovic’s first-team squad for off-the-field indiscipline following a trip to Toluca. Amid rumours linking the Serbian with a move to Spain’s UD Almeria. Paunovic decided to stay at the Estadio Akron and eventually secured a fifth place finish in the Apertura table.
Time to reflect
Fox Sports report that the Serbian and the club have a clause stipulating that after two short season tournaments, either party (coach or club) are free to end the term.
Chivas’ Director of Football Fernando Hierro is keen that ‘Pauno’ remains in charge, but accepts that Serb will stipulate a series of demands at the club with much of the spotlight on team this year focused on the internal politics and the strained Guzman-Paunovic relationship that overshadowed the run-in of the Apertura.