Club World Cup 2025: 'A Grave Injustice' - Why is former Real Madrid player James Rodriguez angry with FIFA?

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Former Real Madrid star James Rodriguez has expressed his frustration with FIFA over Club Leon’s bizarre exclusion from the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

The Colombian midfielder did not hold back his emotions as he called the decision a “grave injustice” and questioned the integrity of football’s governing body.

Why Was Club Leon Stripped of Their Club World Cup Spot?

FIFA ruled that Club Leon was ineligible for the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup due to multi-club ownership regulations. The club is owned by Grupo Pachuca, which also owns CF Pachuca, another Liga MX team that qualified for the tournament.

According to FIFA’s rules, teams under the same ownership cannot participate in the same competition if it poses a conflict of interest. The governing body determined that Leon failed to meet these criteria, leading to their removal from the tournament despite earning qualification by winning the 2023 Concacaf Champions Cup (equivalent to UEFA Champions League).

This decision has angered Rodriguez and his teammates, who feel FIFA unfairly applied the rule after Leon had already been invited to the tournament draw and promoted as participants.

"I Think It’s a Grave Injustice"

James, who plays for the Mexican club since the start of this season, was aghast with the ruling and didn't hold back. The 33-year-old Colombia international labelled it as an injustice to his club.

“I think it’s a grave injustice,” said Rodriguez.

“We all believe that. We won on the pitch. The club and the players are hurt by this. Thinking about this, if we’re out, it’s not fair. The team that would replace us would be stained, football would be stained. So many fans have planned to travel to the tournament, how do you tell them that they can’t go?" the Colombian added.

“I have a lot of questions about all this,” Rodriguez continued. “It’s odd. I think FIFA has to get their things together. Football is stained by this.”

Rodriguez was not alone in his criticism of FIFA. His teammate, Mexican veteran Andres Guardado, also called FIFA’s decision a “brutal injustice.” Guardado argued that FIFA had mishandled the situation from the start and misled Club Leon. The 38-year-old insisted that FIFA’s ruling was unfair since multi-club ownership had existed for years, yet FIFA had only now decided to act against Club Leon.

With the legal process still ongoing, Leon remains hopeful of overturning the ruling, but for now, Rodriguez’s words highlight the deep disappointment within the squad.