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After nearly sixteen years in La Liga, Mallorca will be battling relegation this Saturday, as they face Real Valladolid, to stay up along with Celta Vigo, Zaragoza and Deportivo La Coruna. To ensure that they get the spot, they must defeat Valladolid without Giovani Dos Santos, who is in Houston, Texas to join Mexico’s national team for a friendly against Nigeria on 31st May.
In spite of having Dos Santos on the pitch for practice last Thursday, Gregorio Manzano failed to convince FIFA and the Mexican Football Federation to allow Dos Santos to play in the crucial match on the 1st of June.
A desperate Mallorca offered to fly Dos Santos home on Sunday in a private jet, but the Mexican federation was clear on where they stand.
“I understand the team’s position”, said Hector Gonzalez Inarritu, the director of the Mexican national teams. “It is complicated for them. I understand that this is a way to apply pressure. But (Javier) Aquino (Villareal) and (Andres) Guardado(Valencia) are here and they are playing in important matches.”
FIFA rules dictate that the players should returned home four to five days prior to an international qualifier.
Even if Mallorca were to win the match on Saturday, their fate will largely depend on whether or not the other three clubs are dumped into the relegated zone.
