GUADALAJARA, Mexico -- The shambles at Chivas rolls on, ahead of Saturday's Clasico Nacional in Estadio Azteca against rival Club America.
Former Chivas president Nestor de la Torre spoke for the first time on Thursday about his exit from the club earlier this month in an astonishing outburst on the way the relegation-threatened side is being run.
"They are making lies, half-truths and covering things -- I'm very conscious of the situation," said De la Torre in Guadalajara. "It isn't right that they tread on others to justify themselves."
The ex-president decided to give a news conference in reaction to Chivas owner Jorge Vergara's statements earlier in the day insulting his "personal values." Vergara had indicated that De la Torre didn't have the "decency" to bid farewell to him after he left the club on Monday, Sep. 14 and that his words weren't worth much.
De la Torre, whose brother and coach Jose Manuel "Chepo" de la Torre was fired on the same day, hit back, citing emails between himself and the general director of Grupo Omnilife-Chivas Jose Luis Higuera -- who is also the owner and president of second division club Coras Tepic -- and explaining that his position had been undermined.
The crux of the issue, according to De la Torre, was that Higuera and Vergara had brought in current coach Matias Almeyda from Argentina to Guadalajara after a shaky start to the season, even though former Mexico manager "Chepo" de la Torre was still in a job. He even indicated Almeyda's paperwork and visa had been arranged some time before that, as one local report also states.
"What was very unpleasant was that we had one coach at training and another saying he was going to sign a contract," said De la Torre.
He even revealed that a loan deal to take Chivas winger Carlos Fierro to Queretaro was agreed upon by Higuera behind his back earlier this summer before he landed in Cancun for the Liga MX draft. He also read from an email sent by Higuera in which the latter indicated Fierro wasn't good enough to be a starter in the first team.
The real issue was De la Torre's loss of control and interference from Higuera in on-field affairs, with yet another project falling apart at Chivas in less than a year, despite the team reaching the semifinal of Clausura 2015 and avoiding relegation. So far, since Vergara took over the club in 2002, there have been 25 coaching changes, major instability and just one Liga MX title.
Perhaps the most damming statement from De la Torre came when he read out Vergara's glowing quotes about former coaches and directors Johan Cruyff, Benjamin Galindo, Juan Carlos Ortega and Jose Manuel de la Torre.
"First (Vergara) says he wants long-term projects and in the end he says 'I was wrong, they don't know (what they are doing),'" continued De la Torre.
"Puebla, Chivas and Morelia, the teams fighting relegation, are also the ones with most coaching changes."
He said two players had gone to Vergara's house on the Monday he left in order to try and convince him not to fire the brothers, but it didn't work. Captain Omar Bravo was still coming to terms with the decision when Chivas lost 1-0 last Wednesday to Morelia in the Copa MX.
"I've honestly lost the ability to be shocked," stated Bravo, admitting he had tried to intervene with Vergara.
"You always try to look for an explanation, but there is someone who decides and that is the owner."
Ironically given the circumstances, new Chivas head coach Almeyda has had a bright start with a 2-1 victory over Queretaro in the Liga MX last Sunday and then a 2-1 away win against Morelia on Wednesday in the Copa MX.
Still, Chivas go into Saturday's clash against Club America 13th in the league table and in a battle against relegation, while Las Aguilas are in third place looking to add to its 12 titles. The game in the Estadio Azteca will be much tougher assignment than Almeyda's first two matches against teams struggling for form, although he is hopeful Chivas can come away with something.
The Chivas manager certainly couldn't have looked more relaxed in Thursday's news conference. The 41-year-old Argentine charmed his way through the answers. He was almost the opposite of the stern and authoritarian "Chepo."
One player unlikely to feature on Saturday is Angel Reyna. The controversial figure was kicked out of the first team squad by former coach "Chepo" de la Torre due to general indiscipline and an inability to adapt to the requirements of his manager and the squad around him.
While both Vergara and Almeyda stated Thursday that Reyna could make a return, it won't be in time to face his former club.
Almeyda reserved praise for winger Isaac Brizuela, who could take a more prominent role with Marco Fabian out suspended.
It'll be huge boost to Almeyda to get Chivas' first win in six against Club America, but with Vergara's decisions increasingly extreme by the year, the long-term future remains questionable.