Introduction to the Conflict
Amidst a public dispute between nine teams in the Liga de Expansión and Mexico’s Federación Mexicana de Fútbol (FMF), the issue of promotion remains unclear. On May 28, both parties continued their exchange of statements, failing to confirm the return of the promotion and relegation system in Mexican football.
Origins of the Conflict
The initial salvo was fired by the Liga de Expansión on May 20, when ten teams sought the Tribunal de Arbitraje Deportivo (TAS) in Switzerland to reinstate the promotion system starting from the 2025-26 season.
Following this, Atlante withdrew from the list, separating itself from Atlético La Paz, Cimarrones de Sonora, Cancún FC, Atlético Morelia, Alebrijes de Oaxaca, Mineros de Zacatecas, Venados de Mérida, Tampico Madero, and Leones Negros de la Universidad de Guadalajara (UDG).
The FMF responded on May 21 with a social media post asserting that promotion is already in effect under the following criteria: “A club will ascend if there are at least four certified clubs at the start of the season, and one becomes the Champion of Champions.”
This post was accompanied by a video featuring Íñigo Riestra, the FMF’s general secretary and legal director. He stated:
“It is important to provide our version, as half-truths have been told. The appeal filed by some of these Liga de Expansión clubs concerns the interpretation of the agreement on April 20, 2020, during the FMF’s General Assembly.”
“Remember that this agreement was previously challenged by some of these clubs, and at the time, the TAS confirmed that the six-season suspension of promotion and relegation was taken lawfully, adhering to the regulations and statutes of our federation.”
“Riestra further explained that the Liga de Ascenso was suspended in the 2019-20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and clubs requested a rescue fund to avoid technical bankruptcy. Most were deficit-ridden and unable to sustain themselves.”
“He continued, stating that the decision to suspend promotion and relegation for six seasons was made starting from the 2020-21 season, not retroactively to 2019-20.”
“This implies that promotion would return by the 2026-27 season, although the Liga de Expansión Assembly approved a Certification Committee in 2022, stipulating that starting from the 2023-24 season, if four clubs achieved certification and one won the Champion of Champions title, they could promote.”
“Only two clubs have met the requirements for certification so far. The rules have not changed since that date,” Riestra concluded, emphasizing that the Liga de Expansión clubs did not mention any ‘significant sums of money’ provided through the improvement fund.
Liga de Expansión’s Counterattack
On May 28, the Liga de Expansión retaliated with a unified statement from nine clubs, accusing the FMF in seven points.
“We did not go to the TAS to reinterpret rules or agreements but to demand the right to promotion based on sporting merit, as established in Article 12 BIS of the FMF’s statutes,” they stated as their first point.
In the remaining points, they accused the FMF of allowing multiple ownership despite it being prohibited in the FMF’s statutes, claiming that Liga MX clubs control all national football decisions, including those not within their jurisdiction. They also mentioned that the Liga de Expansión holds only 5% of the votes in General Assemblies.
They further accused “the concentration of power” in Mexican football around Mikel Arriola, obstructing any dialogue possibility. They also pointed out a conflict of interest involving José Riestra, who is Mikel Arriola’s brother and legal director of the FMF, as well as a shareholder in Grupo Orlegi (Santos and Atlas).
“Most importantly, we went to the TAS because we are tired of how Mexican football is managed. It has become a business that only favors Liga MX clubs at the expense of the entire football national chain, where economic gains seem to weigh more than passion for the sport,” the statement emphasized.
It concluded that “the certification for promotion is merely a legal simulation to disguise the lack of a genuine commitment to reintroduce promotion and relegation,” revealing that the filing clubs were sanctioned “with the retention of the so-called improvement subsidy,” referring to the economic support mentioned by Íñigo Riestra.
The FMF responded again via social media, asserting that “sporting promotion based on merit is open,” and denying any illegal retention or sanctions regarding the improvement fund. They specified having given “over 1,100 million pesos” to Liga de Expansión clubs.
Regarding promotion, the FMF’s latest statement maintains that it will occur when there are four clubs with certifications in infrastructure, financial requirements, and business plans at the start of the season, with one winning the Champion of Champions title.
However, they have not disclosed which teams meet these criteria or if the process will reopen in the 2026-27 season without these certifications.
The Liga de Expansión remains uncertain. Starting with 16 teams in 2020, it ended the Clausura 2025 with 15. Teams like Cimarrones, Pumas Tabasco, and Tampico Madero have fluctuated. Recently, Irapuato announced its participation in the 2025-26 circuit on social media but later deleted the post.
The top-tier Mexican league has not had promotion since the summer of 2019, when Atlético de San Luis won their spot in Liga MX sportingly.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the main issue between Liga de Expansión and FMF? The primary concern is the unclear status of promotion and relegation in Mexican football.
- Who initiated the dispute? The Liga de Expansión started the conflict by seeking the TAS to reinstate promotion starting from the 2025-26 season.
- What is the FMF’s stance on promotion? The FMF asserts that promotion based on merit is open, with specific criteria to be met at the start of each season.
- What are the accusations from Liga de Expansión against FMF? Accusations include multiple ownership, control of national football decisions, and a concentration of power around Mikel Arriola, obstructing dialogue.
- What is the current status of promotion in Mexican football? The future of promotion remains unclear, with no confirmed reopening date or disclosed criteria for the 2026-27 season.
