Alexis Vega and Cristian Calderón return to Chivas training: will they play for the club again?

Alexis Vega and Cristian Caldéron’s time at Chivas might not be over yet. The duo were suspended by the club earlier this month due to off-the-field indiscipline, although no definitive decision has been made regarding their futures.

After more than 10 days of talks, Guadalajara have been unable to reach an agreement that would see the two players leave the club. As a result, they will now return to training with the rest of their teammates at the Verde Valle training complex and must wait to see whether they will be considered for selection by head coach Veljko Paunovic.

Why were Vega and Calderón suspended by Chivas?

Vega and Calderón, as well as youth-team player Raúl Martínez, were banished from the first-team squad after reportedly sneaking women into the team hotel after Chivas’ 1-1 Liga MX draw away to Toluca. As both men had already had off-field issues in the past, club bosses were determined to terminate their contracts.

With Calderón only having a deal until December, it seemed as if it would be just a matter of time before he left the club, although Vega’s situation is somewhat more complex given he is contracted until 2024. Chivas’ legal team were locked in discussions in an attempt to find a way out of paying the remainder of the contracts on the basis of them being repeat offenders. However, no such clause was inserted into either deal.

Stalemate reached as Guadalajara refused to pay up contracts

Club sources claimed Calderón had already agreed to tear up his contract, only for his representatives, who also manage Vega, to intervene. They refused to accept anything other than the remainder of their contracts to be paid up in full.

Guadalajara weren’t willing to agree to that, especially in the case of Vega, who they feel deserves to be “punished”. The winger would be free to sign for a new team in January and effectively earn two salaries until June if he were to be paid off. As a result, the situation has reached a stalemate.

First-team return remains in doubt

Until things are resolved, Vega and Calderón will train with the first team and were welcomed back into the fold on Wednesday. Whether they will play for Chivas again, however, remains to be seen, although club sources suggest the board of directors want them to remain on the sidelines and never pull on the red and white shirt again.