Tuzos aspire to the title in an incomplete tournament in their stands

Of the last five final phases, counting this one, the Tuzos have been in four and, as if this were not enough, they have already played one final as well as two semi-finals. This places the team from Hidalgo as a leading team, however it was not enough for their fans to be encouraged to see them on their own field and in a championship where they constantly fought at the top of the table.

More specifically in Apertura 2022, the institution finished in fourth place, getting its direct pass to the league and, its numbers placed it as the third best defensive (15 goals conceded) and the fourth best offensive (28 goals scored). This is not that it was not reflected in their home games, as they were the second best defense (6 goals conceded) and the third best offense (17 scored), in addition to only losing one game at their stadium.

These statistics contrast too much with the low numbers that Pachuca had in attendance. According to data from Liga MX, within the worst attendances per day of the tournament, the Tuzos had six and that includes the worst attendance in the entire championship with just 5,668 fans. The highest peak of attendance at the Hidalgo stadium is also not worth bragging about, since there were barely 10,938 people in the building, the lowest number among the teams in the division (except for Querétaro due to its sanction).

Why is it that the team does not have the support of its fans? Although it is not a team considered great or popular, it already boasts a fruitful history, especially in this century. As if the titles were not enough, the institution is recognized as one of the best trainers in the country and constantly exports talent to Europe, names such as Hirving Lozano, Héctor Herrera and Erick Gutiérrez already have a lot of experience in the old continent.

Many would be the factors that distance the fan from the Tuzos, however, he is no stranger to the Hidalgo team, as it is a phenomenon that affects not only Mexican or world soccer, but also in all sports, according to Francisco San José, professor of sports marketing from the School of Sports Sciences of the Anahuac University.

“It is a multifactorial issue, with soccer in Mexico people are dissatisfied. Year after year the number of fans (in the stadiums) is decreasing and in that sense, before there was more possibility of going to the stadium. Especially in medium and small cities, before practically the only fun was going to the stadium and today that has changed, there are many other forms of entertainment, the arrival of the internet and other factors have led people to prefer to stay at home to do other things. things”, Francisco began for El Economista and added other points to his argument such as the arrival of eSports and the transmission of other leagues in Mexican territory of greater prestige than the national championship.

In relation to Pachuca, San José emphasized that, in addition to the aforementioned, much has to do with what the team has to offer. Despite having a solid lineup and elements that are very important within the squad, they do not figure enough in relation to others in Liga MX and their top references are just beginning to grow, as in the case of Luis Chávez and Erick Sánchez. “The team hasn’t generated figures like in the past and there aren’t those players who draw a lot of attention. Perhaps some foreigners are not as charismatic as others from the past, such is the case of Miguel Calero or Gabriel Caballero, they were players with whom the public felt very identified”, he mentioned.

Finally, he touched on an aspect that also ends up dragging the Tuzos and that is that Mexican soccer teams “have neglected the part of strengthening ties with the community” such as approaching fans and attending hospitals or nursing homes, something that people appreciate. . Although he added that these types of actions continue to be carried out, they do not have enough visibility to generate an impact on the followers of each team.

Los Tuzos will seek a place in the final by facing Rayados, the most expensive squad in the entire Liga MX according to data from Transfermarkt with a value of US89.2 million, will they be able to give a blow of authority and thus try to reunite with their fans?

yoshua.navarro@eleconomista.mx