Football
Tom Marshall, Mexico correspondent 7y

FMF to review the decisions that led to the Liga MX referee strike

There has been no resolution to the Liga MX referees' strike that caused the cancellation of round 10 of matches in the 2017 Clausura this past weekend, although the Mexican football federation (FMF) and Liga MX confirmed on Sunday they will review the decisions that led to the work stoppage.

The strike came about because the referees' association (AMA) was appalled at what it viewed as light punishments for Toluca's Enrique Triverio and Club America's Pablo Aguilar for aggressive incidents during Copa MX matches last Wednesday.

Triverio pushed referee Miguel Flores in the chest and was handed an eight-match ban, while Aguilar received a 10-game punishment for motioning his head towards Fernando Torres. Both were shown red cards.

The referees' association released a statement on Saturday to explain that the only issue it was striking over was the lenient bans for Aguilar and Triverio. It argued that the ban for each player "was not applied based on the regulations, nor according to the referee's report."

In section N of Article 18 of the FMF's regulations for 2016-17, it states that if players "attack" officials "in any form" the punishment is a one-year suspension for the player.

Liga MX owners met in Toluca on Sunday to discuss the strike and the FMF and league released a statement on Sunday evening indicating that, after receiving a complaint from the Referees Commission, the Appeals Committee would review the incidents involving Triverio and Aguilar and judge whether the suspensions handed out were just.

The potential for the strike to be lifted and Liga MX play to resume next weekend will likely depend on whether the referees' association is in agreement with the result of the appeal.

The Professional Soccer Referees Association (representing referees in the United States and Canada) extended its "support and solidarity" to Liga MX referees in what it described as the "long list of challenges they are currently facing."

Toluca's Triverio published a statement apologizing for his actions on Saturday.

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