Senator Clemente Castañeda announced Monday that his party will present a bill on Tuesday that would write promotion and relegation into Mexican law, making sporting merit a legal obligation for national sports associations. The Movimiento Ciudadano coordinator unveiled the plan at the Senate’s “Fuera de Lugar” forum on the suspended ascenso and descenso system, an event neither Liga MX nor FMF leadership attended.
Speaking at the opening of the forum, Castañeda said the initiative would, in his words, incorporate sporting merit among the obligations that national sports associations must observe, in effect consigning promotion and relegation to Mexican legislation. He framed the move as a matter of justice rather than a state takeover of soccer.
“No buscamos administrar el futbol ni sustituir a las autoridades. Queremos proponer reglas que garanticen competencia entre todas las categorías del deporte, no solo en el futbol.”
The bill, so far backed only by Movimiento Ciudadano, drew supportive words from senators across six parliamentary groups. Ignacio Mier, the Morena senator who chairs the Senate’s political coordination board, called the matter one of public and national interest, noting that the 2020 suspension of the system, adopted for economic stability during the pandemic, deserves review.
FMF and Liga MX Leadership Absent
Castañeda said the heads of the FMF and Liga MX were invited and did not respond. Neither FMF commissioner Mikel Arriola nor Liga MX executive president Francisco Iturbide took part in the forum.
In their place, the working tables were filled by the five Expansión clubs that filed a new appeal in August before the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the FMF and Liga MX over the lack of promotion and relegation: Cancún FC, Leones Negros, Mineros de Zacatecas, Atlético La Paz and Atlético Morelia, joined by players, journalists and lawyers.
Context
Promotion and relegation have been suspended in Mexican soccer since 2020. Castañeda noted the result: a club can win the lower division without earning promotion while another finishes at the bottom of the top flight without going down.
The senator accepted that access to the first division would remain subject to certification style conditions, saying financial, infrastructure, security and operational requirements should exist, but that once met, the result on the field should matter.
What Comes Next
The initiative is expected to be formally presented on Tuesday, September 22. It must then travel the full legislative process before becoming reality. For now, the forum changes nothing about the competition rules: promotion and relegation have not returned to Liga MX.
