FIFA have warned Wolverhampton Wanderers that Raul Jimenez could be ineligible for their match with Watford next weekend.
Mexican Football Federation said: “Faced with this refusal, the Mexican Football Federation has made the necessary arrangements before the corresponding instances of FIFA, who today notified the Wolverhampton club that if the player is not released, he will not be eligible to participate with his club during the FIFA window, plus an additional period of five days.”
Mexico manager Tata Martino added: “We’ve behaved in the way that we understood that it had to be done, where Raul was still at the end of his injury, and we understood that it was a risk and that reciprocity is usually bypassed. We are people who understand that health is above all and Raul’s thing was not a minor issue. We understand that he shouldn’t be there and now they do not allow him to leave and there’s not that reciprocity that we’d like to have.”
Wolves have refused to give Jimenez permission to join up with Mexico for their World Cup qualifiers against Jamaica, Costa Rica and Panama. However, the Mexican Football Federation have contacted FIFA over the matter and claim that Jimenez could be forced to miss the Watford match.