Ricardo Ferreti coach of Tigres gestures during the match against Veracruz during the Mexican Apertura 2019 tournament football match at Luis Pirata Fuente stadium in Veracruz on October 18, 2019. AFP / Victor Cruz
Mexico City: Players of Mexican club Veracruz went on strike in the opening minutes of a league game on Saturday, allowing grateful opponents Tigres to walk in two goals unchallenged.
Veracruz decided on the radical action of standing -- instead of running -- about the pitch to protest over unpaid wages.
As a result, Eduardo Vargas and Andre-Pierre Gignac put Tigres 2-0 ahead inside three minutes on their way to a 3-1 win.
At the end of the games, Veracruz sarcastically applauded their opponents who they claim reneged on a promise to respect their strike.
"They knew that we were going to stay still for three minutes, it's sad," said Veracruz defender Carlos Salcido.
However, Tigres skipper Guido Pizarro insisted: "They told us that they were going to stop just for a minute and then it was three. We said we would only stay still for a minute."
Veracruz are bottom of the table without a win in 13 games, having accrued just four points.
Tigres are third, three points off the lead.
