Santiago Baños could be living his last tournament as Club América’s sporting president, the executive in charge of the club’s football operation, its signings and its squad planning. A report out of Monterrey has him as the leading candidate to take over the presidency of Tigres UANL.
The claims are unconfirmed, and no club has commented. Here is exactly what has been said, and what has not.
Update: A First Approach Reported by TUDN
The story has since moved. Vladimir García, a TUDN reporter who covers Tigres, has reported that a first approach has already taken place.
García adds that Baños will soon end his time at América, that his profile is well liked at Tigres, and that a restructuring at América is expected to close out his nine years in charge of the sporting side.
The candidacy itself is also firmer than it was this morning. Luis Castillo’s own remarks have now been reported by Estadio Deportes, taken from his program Sin Filtros.
In them, Castillo says Tigres are weighing two candidates to arrive in December: Baños, and Santiago San Román, the Toluca executive. The final call, he says, rests with Mauricio Doehner.
FOX Sports México has also carried the candidacy, attributing it to its reporter Carlos Rodrigo Hernández. No outlet has reported a formal offer, and none has reported negotiations.
The Report
Jesús Romero, a reporter with Posta Deportes, was among the first to put the story on the record, in a post on X published on November 10.
In it, Romero writes that Baños has possibilities of leaving América for Tigres, and that this could be his last tournament as sporting president of the club. He credits the information first to fellow journalist Luis Castillo.
The Vacancy at Tigres UANL
According to the information attributed to Castillo, Baños profiles as the principal candidate for a presidency that is already empty.
Carlos Emilio González was separated from the Tigres post after complaints of workplace harassment, and the company that administers the club began the search for a replacement with proven Liga MX experience.
Ricardo Peláez, currently an ESPN analyst, has also been sounded out for the job. The same reporting says the Baños option has gained the advantage, because his experience is recent and active.
The vacancy is real, and so is the urgency behind it. Tigres are 15th in the table with one round to play, already eliminated from the Liguilla places.
Under Contract Through the End of 2029
Baños is not a free agent. The same chain of reporting, in Águilas Monumental’s version, holds that he is under contract at América, renewed through the end of 2029.
That matters. Any move would not be a simple appointment by Tigres. It would require América to release the man who runs their sporting project, or to be compensated for letting him go.
What Is Not Confirmed
Neither club has said anything. There is no statement from América, none from Tigres, and no official confirmation of the candidacy or of the reported approach.
The approach stands on García’s reporting alone. A separate report citing columnist Ignacio Suárez claims no direct approach has been made, but that claim could not be verified at its original source. Nothing reported so far is a negotiation, and nothing is an agreement.
Why It Matters for América
Baños has run América’s sporting side through the most successful run in the club’s recent history, the three straight league titles of 2023 and 2024.
On October 25, he was the executive publicly setting the club’s December direction, closing down a transfer question and talking about the squad’s next window.
Losing him to a direct rival would reopen every one of those plans. And the timing has an edge of its own: América close the regular season at Tigres UANL on November 21, with first place still on the line.
For the kickoff time and U.S. viewing options for the Tigres UANL match, see where to watch Club América in the United States.
