Mikel Arriola appeared on the screen wearing a KN95 mask, in the middle of being chauffeured to Liga MX’s headquarters in Toluca. He had connected via Zoom on his iPad, apologizing as he expected our interview to cut out when he entered the building’s parking structure.
Arriola, an outsider to Mexican soccer, is now responsible for the future of Mexico’s men’s and women’s soccer leagues as Liga MX’s new president. Notably, Arriola does have a sporting background. He’s an accomplished Jai alai player, having represented Mexico at a youth world championship in 1991. Soccer, he said, has always been a part of his life, although he admitted that he wasn’t the best player on the pitch as a child.
The former mayoral candidate for Mexico City spoke exclusively to The Athletic about his background in government and his goals for the future of the league.
