Rafael Márquez removed from the blacklist of the United States Department of Treasury

The United States Department of Treasury has removed former captain of the Mexican national team from its blacklist and also delisted his companies four years after he was sanctioned for allegedly having ties to drug trafficking organisations that were considered criminal by the United States.

Why did USA blacklist Marquez in 2017?

In August 2017, the United States Department of Treasury announced that the then captain of the Mexican El Tri, Rafael Márquez has been blacklisted and all his companies, assets and finances linked to United States banks have been frozen. This was reportedly done because Márquez was alleged to have ties to companies that are holding assets on behalf of drug cartel organisations. The leader of the drug trafficking organisations Marquez, who recently returned to Barcelona as coach in La Masia was accused of laundering drug money for is Raul Flores Hernandez.

What did Rafael Márquez say about it?

Rafael Márquez immediately denied the reports when it surfaced in 2017, claiming he has no ties to the mentioned organisations. “Today several news outlets reported that I am part of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Treasury Department for alleged ties to a criminal organization. I categorically deny any type of relation with this organization and with what has been stated in several news reports. I understand the legal situation that I find myself in, and I will immediately work on clearing up the facts alongside my team of attorneys… Just as I have approached my professional career, today is my most difficult challenge. I will try to clear this up when I can and be the Rafa Marquez everyone knows.” Marquez told ESPN in 2017.

How it affected Márquez at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Rafael Márquez was preparing for his fifth World Cup, a record, when the blacklisting was announced. He eventually made the 23man list as the captain of the El Tri and was under close scrutiny to avoid appearing with or making use of materials provided by sponsors, because sponsors were trying to avoid sanctions if they got associated with him. He didn't wear the branded training kits and did not drink from branded water bottles as his teammates. FIFA at first told him not to do press conferences but later allowed him to, so far he avoided the sponsor's logos and representation.

He was lodged away from where he could have connections to American companies and would never have been awarded Budweiser man of the match if he had won one. He was not allowed to travel on planes owned by US companies and agreed not to get paid his allowances and bonuses for the World Cup.