This Monday, April 24, the Mexican Football Federation officially announced some sanctions for Club Tijuana after a brawl between Xolos and Leon fans at Estadio Caliente this past Friday, April 21. The game was the last home game for the Xoloitzcuintles of the Liga MX 2023 Clausura season.

There was historic tension and a bit of a rivalry between both teams, but unfortunately, that rivalry went too far on Friday night. Fans from both teams engaged in an all-out brawl that left some fans injured and behind bars for the night after being picked up by local police.

The police did not arrive immediately on the scene, unfortunately, as some real acts of violence were seen, and some of the culprits were not apprehended by the proper authorities. One of the culprits, who is yet to be identified, kicked a Leon fan in the face while he was sitting on the ground and quickly fled the scene. The aggressor was wearing a face mask and hopefully will be apprehended with Liga MX’s new Fan ID technology.

The brawl seemed to be initiated by Tijuana’s supporters group “La Masakr3”, who have been involved in similar incidents in the past. Reports indicate that members of “La Masakr3” ambushed Leon fans as they were making their way into the Estadio Caliente gates. The brawl occurred outside of the stadium as security did not handle the situation in the best way, closing one of the main gates and causing panic within bystanders who were not involved.

After this fan brawl at the Estadio Caliente Xolos will receive some sanctions.
• 3-game ban for supporters group “La Masakr3”
• undisclosed fine for the club
• official warning #Xolos pic.twitter.com/SNxOJH12zL

— Francisco Velasco (@FranciscoEfV) April 26, 2023

“La Masakr3” did receive a sanction as the supporter’s group will be banned from the Estadio Caliente for three games, which will most likely start next season as Xolos are unlikely to make the playoffs this season. One of the other sanctions for Club Tijuana will be an undisclosed fine from the federation. Finally, Club Tijuana received an official warning that indicates that the next time anything similar occurs, the stadium will be banned for an undisclosed amount of games.

While these sanctions do accomplish some things, it is very important to properly identify those involved in the brawl so that they may receive the proper sanctions. The new Liga MX  Fan ID is meant to be useful in these situations, but no culprits have been identified at the time of writing this article.

The Tijuana Xolos will close out the season on the road against Puebla as Miguel Herrera’s team tries to make one last desperate punt to make the playoffs. The game is a must-win encounter for both teams as it has potential to be a thrilling match at the Estadio Cuauhtemoc this Friday, April 28.

Francisco Velasco

Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.