May 20 – The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) and 18 clubs from Liga MX are facing a legal battle with 11 clubs from the Mexico’s second tier who are demanding a return to the promotion and relegation system between the two leagues that was put on hold for the 2019/20 season when the Covid pandemic hit.
The claim filed with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) yesterday is being made on behalf of 11 of the 15 clubs who play in Liga MX Expansión.
The filing at CAS jeopardises the $1.25 billion investment offer made by Apollo Global Management for a stake in the commercial entity that will sell Liga MX commercial rights.
As well as calling for a return to promotion and relegation the claim asks for the prohibition of Liga MX becoming a closed league like the MLS, as well as an end to multi-club ownership in the top tier of the Mexican game – currently four groups each own two clubs.
The ownership issues were highlighted this year with the expulsion of Club León from the FIFA Club World Cup, which is owned by Groupo Pachuca’s Jesus Martinez, also owner of Pachuca who kept their slot in the CWC finals that being in June.
“Due to the total silence on behalf of the FMF, and considering the fact that there are only a few months left before the start of the new season … the appellant clubs highlighted the urgency of obtaining an answer in order to plan investments, infrastructure (projects), (player) acquisitions and broadcast rights negotiations for the upcoming season,” says the filing at CAS.
“It is essential to request that the FMF begins to process all legal documents and secondary norms that are necessary to facilitate the return of the previous promotion and relegation system.”
The clubs want promotion and relegation returned for the 2025/26 season. The CAS is expected to be resolved at CAS by the end of the year.
The suspension in 2019/20 was agreed for a six-season term to help clubs to recover from the impact of the pandemic.
“It is completely absurd and nonsensical to oppose the return of promotion and relegation to Mexican football. We are talking about only one club being promoted and one being relegated. In Brazil, four clubs go up and down every year. In Spain, Italy, France and England, it’s three. We are simply asking the Federation and top clubs to respect that time is up,” said Liga MX Expansión clubs’ lawyer, Eduardo Carlezzo.
The professional club eco-system in the Concacaf region is growing rapidly throughout the federation. While Mexican clubs have dominated the club scene, credible challenges from the US, where the Mexican diaspora are powerful commercial supporters of the Mexican game, is increasingly opening up new international revenue opportunities for the top clubs. The MLS and Liga MX are also now into the second season of the Leagues Cup which sees teams from the two leagues play each other over a month-long competition.
Next year the Mexican game will be spotlighted further with the country’s co-hosting of the 2026 World Cup with 13 matches being played across Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey.
“This can credibly be considered the most significant ever football dispute in the country given its far-reaching repercussions – addressing major and controversial issues that have plagued Mexican football for years,” said Carlezzo.
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