Pre-Libertadores tournament

The Pre-Libertadores tournament was an annual bi-national football competition held from 1998 to 2002, contested by teams from Venezuela and Mexico, that defined two teams qualified for the following year's Copa Libertadores (except for the first edition, which was played in the same year as the respective Copa Libertadores).

The tournament was an initiative of Mexican promoters, close to the Mexican Football Federation and the Televisa company, who sought to get Mexican teams into CONMEBOL's top club competition.[1]

History

In 1997, Grupo Pegaso (founded by Alejandro Burillo Azcárraga[2]), through promoter Eduardo Aguirre, began talks with the Venezuelan league clubs and the Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF) to purchase the slots that corresponded to Venezuelan teams in the Copa Libertadores (2 direct slots at that time). Negotiations lasted until December of that year when the parties reached an agreement in a meeting held in Asunción, Paraguay; the two Venezuelan slots in the Libertadores Cup would be disputed in a preliminary tournament by two Venezuelan and two Mexican teams, in exchange, the Mexican side was to make a payment of US$200,000 to each Venezuelan team participating and US$80,000 to the FVF.[3] The agreement had CONMEBOL's approval, however, CONCACAF's permission was still needed to allow the Mexican teams to participate.

In early January 1998, Rafael Esquivel, president of the FVF at the time, and his treasurer Emiliano Rodríguez travel to Mexico to finalize the details of the tournament and then to the United States to meet with CONCACAF authorities. Finally, CONCACAF authorized the participation of the Mexican teams and 3 February is announced as the start date of the tournament.[4]

Results

During its six editions, the tournament has always been won by a Mexican team and only twice has a Venezuelan team qualified for the Copa Libertadores.[5]

Ed. Year Qualified to Copa Libertadores Eliminated
Winners Runners-up Third place Fourth place
11998 Mexico Guadalajara Mexico América Venezuela Caracas Venezuela Atlético Zulia
21999 Mexico Monterrey Venezuela Estudiantes de Mérida Mexico Necaxa Venezuela Universidad de Los Andes
32000 Mexico Atlas Mexico América Venezuela Deportivo Italchacao Venezuela Deportivo Táchira
42001 Mexico Cruz Azul Venezuela Deportivo Táchira Venezuela Deportivo Italchacao Mexico Atlante
52002 Mexico América Mexico Monarcas Morelia Venezuela Caracas Venezuela Trujillanos
62003 Mexico UNAM Mexico Cruz Azul Venezuela Estudiantes de Mérida Venezuela Nacional Táchira

References
  1. Sen, Xochitl (10 January 2008). "El torneo incómodo" [The uncomfortable tournament]. espndeportes.espn.com (in Spanish). ESPN.
  2. García, Vito (13 April 2014). "Alejandro Burillo Azcárraga, el hombre que se olvidó del valor del Atlante" [Alejandro Burillo Azcárraga, the man who forgot Atlante's value]. espndeportes.espn.com (in Spanish). ESPN.
  3. Duben, Rodrigo (20 November 2016). "Punto final: cómo fueron los 18 años de México en la Copa Libertadores" [End point: how Mexico's 18 years in the Copa Libertadores went] (in Spanish). Infobae.
  4. Minniti, Javier. "Recuento histórico de la Liguilla entre Venezuela y México" [Liguilla history between Venezuela and Mexico] (in Spanish). University of the Andes. Archived from the original on 10 December 2004. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  5. "Pre Libertadores, la primera aduana para los mexicanos" [Pre Libertadores, the first hurdle for the Mexicans]. mexico.as.com (in Spanish). Diario AS. 27 July 2015.
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