Mexico's referee association announced Monday they will return to work after Liga MX modified its suspension for Club America center back Pablo Aguilar and Toluca forward Enrique Triverio, suspending both players for a year.
Strike creates headache for traveling Liga MX fans
Aguilar was originally suspended 10 matches for making contact with the referee after America's Copa MX loss to Tijuana during the week. Triverio was handed an eight-match ban for making contact with the referee during Toluca's match against Morelia.
The league's referee association, however, wanted the players to be punished with the maximum penalty allowed by the rules and went on strike, causing the league to suspend Round 10 of matches.
"Once analyzing the documents and supporting evidence, the Appeals Committee has decided to revoke the sanctions put in place by the Disciplinary Committee on March 10, 2017 with respect to the players Enrique Triverio of Club Toluca and Pablo Aguilar. In their place, (the committee) has determined to sanction the players Enrique Triverio of Club Toluca and Pablo Aguilar of Club America with a year of suspension," a league statement read.
Ruiz's death provides perspective
Both players also received a fine in addition to the suspension for violating section N of Article 18 of the federation's rules, which prohibit players attacking referees.
The change "sets a precedent for there to be order and respect on the field of play," the referee association said in a statement Monday.
"From this moment on, we're reporting for work on the field, giving our best effort to achieve successful tournaments," the statement concluded.
The league hasn't announced a date for Round 10's games to be scheduled, though it could do so as soon as Monday evening. The most likely possibility appears to be to play the round midweek between April 11-13. However, the Copa MX final is set for April 12, meaning the two teams contesting the final would have to find another date for their games. This week's Copa MX matches will go ahead as scheduled.
