Having been the protagonist, in one way or another, of one of the darkest days in the history of Mexican soccer will cost Querétaro dearly. The sanctions imposed by Liga MX will come into effect and it will begin to feel the effect. On the economic front, how much could Queretaro's losses amount to?
On March 5, during matchday 9 of the Clausura 2022 Tournament, Queretaro's Barras mercilessly attacked Atlas fans who had attended the away game at la Corregidora Stadium. There was no discrimination for violence, entire families, men, women, senior citizens, and members of supporters' groups were targeted by the Gallos Blancos fans.
Liga MX's response was a series of sanctions against Querétaro, including the impossibility of playing home games with a public audience for one year (the sanction expires in March 2023), either in the Corregidora Stadium or in another stadium.
Querétaro's possible millions in losses due to playing without fans
Much of the debate on social networks about the sanctions imposed on Querétaro focused on their severity. Many considered the punishments inadequate for the magnitude of what happened in the match against Atlas. However, at least in economic terms, the outlook does not look good for the Gallos Blancos.
Azteca Deportes insider David Medrano revealed that Querétaro is one of the teams with the lowest expenses in Liga MX: approximately 230 million pesos (US$11 million). Half of this amount is paid with the income obtained from matchdays, specifically those played at home.
Therefore, the estimated economic losses suffered by Gallos Blancos would be approximately 110 million pesos per year due to not being able to count on the income from playing their home games in the Corregida, especially against popular teams such as Chivas, América, Cruz Azul, or Pumas.
What kind of revenues are obtained by holding a match as the home team?
The main revenue streams for a club playing at home in any league are ticket and product sales at official points of sale inside and outside the stadium, consumption by fans inside the stadium (food and beverages), and parking for the thousands who regularly attend a First Division match.
