Mexican senators seek law restoring football promotion and relegation

Mexican senators are pursuing legislation to restore promotion and relegation in domestic football, bringing a dispute over access to the top division into the national legislature. According to an Associated Press report published by the Guardian on September 22, officials announced that a reform would be proposed on Tuesday. The move is a legislative initiative, not confirmation that the system has been restored.

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Senator Clemente Castañeda of Movimiento Ciudadano put forward the proposal with backing from representatives of other party leaderships, including Ignacio Mier of the governing Morena party. Castañeda said the aim was to make sporting merit an explicit obligation for national sports associations and establish promotion and relegation in law. AP contacted the Mexican Football Federation for a response but reported receiving none.

Top-flight club owners suspended promotion and relegation in April 2020, citing financial problems at second-division clubs worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic. The original suspension was supposed to last five years, with reinstatement in 2025 allowing movement between divisions at the end of the season in May 2026. That return did not happen. When second-division clubs began pressing for reinstatement last year, the federation said the necessary economic conditions were still absent.

The dispute also concerns the requirements for reaching Liga MX. AP reported that second-division clubs needed certification before becoming eligible for promotion, including a stadium capacity of 30,000, a threshold not met by every existing top-flight club. Football authorities removed promotion and relegation from the regulations entirely this year, according to the report. Neither the federation nor Liga MX explained that decision.

The uncertainty has affected clubs whose investors expected the route upward to reopen. Cancún FC was bought in 2022 by a group including former Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow on that premise. Club president Giovani Solazzi criticised the continuing restrictions. Second-division players have staged protests by remaining still after kick-off or circulating possession without attacking, while supporters have worn protest shirts at stadiums.

The legislative push comes alongside scrutiny from competition authorities. AP reported that Mexico's National Antitrust Commission opened an investigation last week into possible monopolistic practices connected with the absence of promotion and relegation. That inquiry does not establish that wrongdoing occurred. Together, the investigation and proposed reform add two separate institutional proceedings to a dispute that has already prompted protests by clubs, players and supporters.