Costa Rican outfit Alajuelense are emerging as a candidate to replace Club Leon in this summer's Club World Cup, according to a report.
The Mexican side Leon were kicked out of the competition by FIFA on Friday for breaching the governing body's regulations on multi-club ownership. Both Leon and Liga MX rivals CF Pachuca are owned by Grupo Pachuca. Although both had initially qualified for the expanded 32-team tournament, their participation was challenged on the grounds that they share ownership.
Leon, who currently boast former Real Madrid star James Rodriguez among their ranks, were set to play Chelsea in Group D, alongside Flamengo of Brazil and Tunisian outfit Esperance de Tunis.