Pachuca coach Guillermo Almada presented his resignation on Thursday three weeks ahead of the Club World Cup but the Liga MX team has yet to accept it.
In a statement, Pachuca said the Uruguayan coach has a contract until 2026 and is demanding that he or any other team pay the buyout clause.
“Guillermo has an existing contract with this institution until December 2026. This contract establishes a possible early termination of his professional relationship with our team, at the time the agreed buyout clause is paid,” stated the club in a press release.
The Uruguayan coach is the top candidate to become the next Cruz Azul coach as soon as the club finalize the exit of Vicente Sánchez, sources told ESPN Mexico.
If the resignation is accepted, the next team that signs Almada would not need to pay the clause.
In Almada’s place, Gabriel Caballero is currently slated to be interim for Pachuca ahead of group stage matches against Real Madrid, Al Hilal, and RB Salzburg this summer.
Almada’s decision marks another setback for Pachuca’s ownership that recently disputed the removal of Grupo Pachuca’s second team at the Club World Cup, Leon. Earlier in May, the Court of Arbitration of Sport confirmed a decision by FIFA that removed Leon from the summer tournament due to multi-ownership rules.
The case was settled five months after León was initially allowed by FIFA to enter the Club World Cup alongside sister club Pachuca.
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