Mexico's Rafael Marquez does not wear American sponsors after being blacklisted by US Treasury
Wednesday 20 June 2018 08:08, UK
He is the joint-record holder for playing in the most World Cups but Mexico veteran Rafael Marquez wears special training gear for another reason.
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that this means Marquez cannot wear any of the Mexico team sponsors on his training gear, or engage in sponsorship work or even drink from the same branded bottles as his team-mates.
Pictured training on Tuesday after he joined a unique list of players to have played in five World Cups with a substitute appearance against Germany, Marquez is clearly the only member of the squad not wearing sponsored kit.
According to documents on the Treasury's website, Marquez was linked to suspected drug trafficker Flores Hernandez and his organisation via a football school called Escuela de Futbol Rafael Marquez, as well as various other sports and health outfits.
He was among 20 others sanctioned by the US Treasury Department for suspected links to Hernandez in 2017.
The sanctions freeze any assets, such as bank accounts and property, that a blacklisted person holds in a US jurisdiction, and bans any US individuals or companies from doing business with them.
