Mexico's captain Rafa Marquez came on for the final 20 minutes of El Tri's opening match win against Germany and made a few key tackles to preserve his side a vital three points in Group F.
For much of the past year, it seemed increasingly unlikely Marquez would appear in his record-tying fifth World Cup. Although the 39-year-old has slowed down, his age wasn't the problem. Rather, Marquez has been embroiled in a legal battle with the U.S. Treasury Department, which alleges he used his businesses to help the kingpin of a Mexican drug cartel launder his money.
According to the LA Times, the U.S. Treasury Department blacklisted Marquez last August for his alleged ties to Raul Flores Hernandez, a drug lord connected to the infamous Sinaloa cartel. The New York Times reported his legal team is collaborating with American officials, but the investigation is ongoing.
Since Rafa Marquez is on the Treasury Department blacklist, U.S. businesses cannot be associated with Marquez in any way. FIFA is taking extreme measures to ensure World Cup sponsors like Coca-Cola and Budweiser steer clear of Marquez.
After Mexico's win against Germany, FIFA prevented the media from conducting an on-field interview with Marquez, where he would have been placed in front of corporate signage. During training sessions with the Mexico national team, Marquez wears a generic jersey absent any logos of the team's sponsors.
Despite the legal controversy, Mexico's coach Juan Carlos Osorio knew he needed Marquez in the squad. And after El Tri's starting center back Nestor Araujo was ruled out of the World Cup with a knee injury, it became clear Rafa Marquez would do more than just serve as a leader in the locker room.
With Marquez playing valuable minutes for Mexico, FIFA is having to further scramble to protect its sponsors with ties to the U.S. If a fan vote awards Rafa Marquez the Budweiser Man-of-the-Match honors, then FIFA will reluctantly give him the award without the Budweiser branded trophy.
Mexico fans would have every reason to celebrate Marquez's award, as it would indicate another positive result for an El Tri team brimming with confidence.
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