Liga MX referees will need written permission before officiating or playing in talacha tournaments and any other matches outside the FMF, under an internal Referees Commission communication disclosed by former referee Francisco Chacón. Active Primera Division referees confirmed the bulletin to RÉCORD. The FMF has not published the rules publicly.
The communication, signed by the commission’s director general, Juan Manuel Herrero, also creates a Comite de Enlace Arbitral, a standing liaison body with an independent president and representatives of the FMF, the clubs, Liga MX, the Disciplinary Commission and the Referees Commission. The president has not been named.
Under the reported rules, no referee may officiate or play in matches or tournaments outside the FMF and its affiliated leagues without prior written authorization. The requirement covers amateur and llanero matches, business tournaments, exhibition games and content-creator matches.
Requests must reach the director general’s institutional email at least 15 business days in advance, according to Estadio Deportes, which published the fullest account of the communication. The referees who confirmed the bulletin to RÉCORD said a formal regulation will follow, with permission requests due about two weeks ahead. Informal recreational play, with no organizer, referee, registration or broadcast, is exempt.
The communication also restricts social media. Referees must not react to posts about refereeing decisions, show public affinity or criticism toward clubs, players, coaches or executives, criticize colleagues or institutions, or disclose evaluations, VAR audio or designations before they are announced. Interviews, podcasts and sponsored content will also need prior authorization.
Breaking the rules can bring internal measures, including non-designation for matches. The communication sets no fixed table of punishments, and a formal Codigo de Conducta still to come is expected to define the consequences in detail.
The measures arrive less than two weeks after César Ramos, a three-time World Cup referee, took charge of the talacha final on October 3 in Zacatepec, Morelos. Chivas Impulsora led America Buenavista 3-1 with one million pesos on offer when a late red card sparked a brawl involving players, benches and fans, and Ramos left the field escorted.
Ramos had been authorized by the commission to officiate that final, but he then missed the Jornada 11 designations, fueling speculation of an internal punishment that the FMF never confirmed. The social media limits also follow the case of Katia Itzel Garcia, who responded to football figures online after a Liga MX match earlier this season.
Estadio Deportes noted that the communication names neither Ramos nor Garcia and announces no sanction against anyone. The measures are general rules for the whole refereeing body.
As of Thursday afternoon, the FMF had not commented publicly and had not published the communication or the coming conduct code. FutnSoccer will update this story when it does. For continuing coverage, see FutnSoccer’s Liga MX hub.
