MARMOL SITUATION EXPLAINED Gazidis: Fire has priority for this season
The Chicago Fire will have priority to Lider Marmol for the entire 2008 season, according to MLS deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis. Photo by Michael Lewis
By Michael Lewis
BigAppleSoccer.com Editor
Salzburg, Austria -- This is a quick explanation of team's rights of the Lider Marmol situation from MLS.
The Chicago Fire made the first discovery claim of the Paraguayan defender-midfielder and the club will have priority for the 2008 season, according to MLS deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis.
Marmol flew here to train with the Red Bulls, who put in a second discovery claim on Dec. 11, a day after the Fire did, a league spokesman said.
In an e-mail reply to several questions, Gazidis explained the discovery process in general and this situation in particular.
"Chicago signed the first discovery request on Marmol and therefore a priority right of first refusal over all other MLS teams if MLS signs him," he wrote in an e-mail Wednesday.
The league tried to sign the 22-year-old Marmol in December.
"The player's demands . . . were too high and the league did not move forward," Gazidis wrote. "We are trying to ascertain whether his demands have changed and whether there is a deal to be done.
"If his demands have changed and the league signs him, Chicago still has priority. This priority will last throughout the 2008 season."
Gazidis said that the "Red Bulls were fully and explicitly aware of this situation when they decided to bring him in for this trial."
He said that Red Bulls managing director Marc de Grandpre told him that he spoke with sporting director Jeff Agoos and Osorio about it,l but it was the coach's decision to bring Marmol in.
"Fair enough, but there can be no surprise here," Gazidis wrote.
Marmol has been impressive during his time here, scoring a brilliant 28-yard goal during an intrasquad scrimmage game Saturday.
Gazidis said that the league's "priority rules are pretty simple." He reiterated that MLS is a single-entity league "where the league signs all the players."
"They are known to all our teams and are based on the principle that the league provides equal opportunity to all its teams to access players and compete, regardless of market size, etc.," he wrote. "Compared to other soccer leagues in the world, this makes the league very competitive and gives all teams the opportunity to be successful. How well they do will be based primarily on how well they operate within the rules, identify talent, draft, trade, etc."
