Mexico investigates possible monopolistic practices in Liga MX football
Mexico’s National Antimonopoly Commission (CNA) has opened an investigation into Liga MX, the country’s top professional football division. The regulator will examine possible relative monopolistic practices in the market for membership, organization and access to professional federated football competitions, Mexico News Daily reports.
Subject of the investigation
According to an internal CNA document, the commission is examining whether a small group of individuals or market participants may have violated the Federal Economic Competition Law. The case concerns possible unfair control over who can join competitions, participate in them and how tournaments are organized.
In a public report, the CNA said that after analyzing events in recent months, its investigative body had obtained sufficient grounds to independently launch a formal investigation. The commission stressed that at this stage there are no identified defendants and it has not yet been determined who exactly will be investigated. The investigation is intended to establish whether competition law requirements are being observed.
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Decision concerning second-division clubs
The source notes that the investigation is likely related to Liga MX’s July decision to abolish the system of promotion of clubs to the top division and relegation to the second-tier Liga Expansión division. The league also announced the termination of payments to second-division teams.
The club promotion and relegation system was abolished in 2020 to protect clubs from the financial consequences of lost revenue during COVID-19 quarantine restrictions. Representatives of Liga Expansión challenged the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The court determined that the 2026–2027 season was the earliest date by which the system should have been restored.
Critics also considered the league’s rules on team ownership of television broadcasting rights to be a potentially monopolistic practice. The investigation may last up to 120 working days, and if necessary, this period may be extended up to three times. The CNA has the right to request documents, visit offices, summon people to provide testimony and conduct inspections. If a violation is established, Liga MX and its clubs could face a fine of up to 10% of annual revenue and a requirement to eliminate the identified practices.
