Chivas owner Jorge Vergara has died after going into cardiac arrest, his son, Amaury Vergara, confirmed on Friday. He was 64.
"It's with profound sadness and pain that I want to communicate that my father, Jorge Carlos Vergara Madrigal, president and founder of Grupo Omnilife Chivas, left this life today due to a cardiac arrest on Nov. 14 in the city of New York, United States," read a statement from Amaury Vergara.
There had long been rumors and reports about the state of Vergara's health and he had named Amaury club president last June.
— Amaury Vergara Z. (@Amauryvz) November 15, 2019
Guadalajara-born businessman Jorge Vergara bought Liga MX giant Chivas in 2002 and modernized the club, winning league titles in 2006 and 2017. The club built a new stadium on the outskirts of Guadalajara, opening it with a 2010 match against Manchester United.
Vergara was sometimes a controversial figure in Mexican football and with the Chivas fanbase, many of whom wanted more investment in the team.
Vergara also founded MLS franchise Chivas USA in Los Angeles in 2004 as he sought to expand the Chivas brand, but the club folded in 2014.
Bitter Chivas rival Club America, with whom Vergara had numerous spats, published a tweet later Friday lamenting Vergara's death and calling him "a great businessman and football person."
The funeral will be held in Guadalajara.
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