FIFA, the world governing body, imposed a severe sanction on FEMEXFUT, banning all Mexican teams from international competition for two years from 25 April 1988 to 1 July 1990.
[3] Antonio Moreno, however, was backed up by fellow Imevisión journalist José Ramón Fernández, from the show La Misma Hora, who broadcast the news on television.
[4] The information was widely spread on televised and written media in Mexico and inevitably reached the United States Soccer Federation, who submitted an official complaint to CONCACAF, demanding the case be investigated, after its youth team failed to qualify for the U-20 World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
[6] On 19 June 1988, CONCACAF determined that the ages of the four players (Jiménez, de la Fuente, Mata, and Rivera) were in fact false, and Mexico was disqualified from participation in the Saudi Arabia Youth World Championship.
Rafael del Castillo traveled to Zurich on 22 June 1988 and attempted to appeal before FIFA, hoping to overturn his life ban issued by CONCACAF; no regard was given to the situation of Mexico's football suspension.
[10] The following week, FIFA selected the United States as hosts for the 1994 World Cup; a conspiracy theory holds that Mexico's disqualification from the 1990 tournament was intended to make it easier for the U.S. team to qualify, and so drum up interest in the sport there.