Catalan sports paper Sport reports that Barcelona defender and Mexican international Rafael Marquez (30) has withdrawn of the bid for Mexican football team Atlas. “I am convinced that we were bringing the best option for Atlas, but there was some other obstacles on the deal too,” Marquez said in a statement that his group of partners made official its withdrawal from the bidding for the Mexican team. Marquez felt bad by having to make this decision because he wanted to retire in Atlas and also wanted to foster a long-term project at the team where he started his professional career.

The bid was planned between Marquez and Mexican singer Alejandro Fernandez. Businessman Guillermo Romo provided the strategic engagement of the Chicago Fire of the United States and a partnership with FC Barcelona to train forces base. “It was a great opportunity to Atlas become a XXI Century team, becoming a national team that would have added the passion of many Mexican football fans,” Romo said. Confirming the official withdrawal of its bid, the Marquez group expressed willingness to submit a new bid in the future for the club, provided there is transparency in the process.

The group justified its departure in the actions that the current director of Atlas took in recent days and said that “compromising financial and sporting schemes that were not commensurate with our interests.” Atlas director hired a new coach a week ago, Carlos Ischia, former Boca Juniors coach, to lead the team from the tournament that starts next January. The Mexican singer Alejandro Fernandez, son of Vicente Fernandez, said they lacked information to make decisions on funding commitments to the team. “Nobody in their right mind would put money for something without knowing what the immediate financial commitments and that information never had,” Fernandez said.