Football
Tom Marshall, Mexico correspondent 10y

What the Clasico means to Chivas players

Chivas opened their doors to the media on Thursday, inviting local and foreign journalists alike to interview players. The reason, of course, is that the biggest game in the Mexican soccer calendar is on Sunday, when Guadalajara ‘welcomes’ bitter rivals Club America to the Estadio Omnilife.

To whet the appetite ahead of the big clash, I spoke to five Chivas players to get their thoughts on what exactly this game means to both them and the fans and why it creates so much enthusiasm in Mexico.

Jorge Enriquez (Midfielder)

"For me, it’s a game that you can’t lose for anything in the world. I see it as a final. Results (go out of the window), the league position is forgotten, everything is forgotten. People are very emotionally involved in the game and they tell you, "You have to win; all the rest don’t matter; qualifying (for the playoffs or not) doesn’t matter, just defeat America"."

Luis Michel (Goalkeeper)

"In Argentina there is Boca and River, in Spain, Barcelona and Real and here in Mexico it is America versus Chivas. It creates great excitement in all of the Republic and also in parts of the United States. It crosses borders. These are the two teams with most fans in Mexico, so the atmosphere becomes one of "carrilla" (banter), with fans of the losing team paying up bets. People tell you that you have to win because they bet their wife. Yesterday someone told me that he bet his wife and that if we lose she comes back!"

Marco Fabian (Winger)

"The history of this game tells it all. In this country fans are divided between these two teams. Lots of things are played out in this game: Bets, joy, sadness. It’s the most anticipated game of the season."

Miguel Sabah (Striker)

"It’s the biggest game you can play in at league level. All of the country lives it intensely. In America, almost all (the players) are foreigners and Chivas have the philosophy of a Mexican team and that makes it even more important. We have a lot of fans, America too. You could say that America is a team with a lot of money and Chivas rely on youngsters from the cantera (youth system). For me, it’s a football war in which losing is banned."

Carlos Fierro (Striker)

"There are three very important points (at stake), but winning against a team like America is the best motivation. It’s a game you play for the shirt, for pride, with your head held high. It’s a rivalry that started many years ago. It’s now another generation, another stage, but that rivalry has always existed."

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