For the first time in the history of Mexican soccer, viewers in Mexico hoping to catch the Apertura 2013 finals won't simply be able to flick on their televisions and tune in. On Thursday, Dec. 12, León and América will square off for the final, but Mexican audiences only be able to watch the broadcast via pay-per-view television or on the Internet - specifically on the YouTube channel "ClaroSports", according to Animal Politico. Top-ranked América travels tonight to Estadio León in Guadalajara to take on a León team which finished third in the Liga MX rankings.
Left-out viewers have a usual suspect on whom to cast their aspersions - telecommunications magnate and world's richest man Carlos Slim, long an object of disdain in Mexico, where mobile costs are among the highest in the developing world. Just over a year ago, Slim bought 30 percent of the shares of León (as well as their Liga MX rival Pachuca), and defied rival telecommunications magnate Emilio Azcárraga Jean by refusing to accept a $2.5 million offer from Azcárraga's TV Azteca for the transmission rights to the Liga MX finals in the event that León made it there. The stars aligned for Slim's "Panzas Verdes", and he went instead with an offer made by Fox Sports, which made a more lucrative offer.
América, who dropped the first leg of their semifinal 2-1 to Toluca before rallying in the second match to advance with a 2-0 win, is shooting for their second straight Liga MX championship. Meanwhile, León will try to stake their claim on the crown for the first time since 1992. They came out strong against Santos Laguna in the first leg of their semifinal, beating them 3-1 before drawing in the second. Thursday's match will be followed by the second leg of the 2013 Apertura final on Sunday night.
RELATED: Leon Vs. America: What Team Will Win In The Opening Leg Of the Apertura Final [POLL]?
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