09/14/26 02:32:00
Printable Page
09/14 13:51 CDT Mexico launches antitrust investigation over alleged
monopolistic soccer practices
Mexico launches antitrust investigation over alleged monopolistic soccer
practices
By CARLOS RODRIGUEZ
AP Sports Writer
MEXICO CITY (AP) --- Mexico's National Antitrust Commission (CNA) announced on
Monday that it has launched an investigation into potential monopolistic
practices in domestic soccer, prompted by fan complaints over anti-competitive
behavior.
The probe centers on the absence of a promotion and relegation system.
Second-division teams and players have been protesting for weeks, demanding the
right to go up to the top flight as they did in the past.
Several lower-tier clubs even appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport
(CAS) last year.
Although the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) suspended promotion in 2019 with
an agreement to restore it by 2026, no active plans exist to reinstate the
system.
Owners of the 18 first-division teams voted to suspend promotion and relegation
for six seasons, arguing that it would help stabilize second-division clubs.
The FMF maintains that lower-tier teams are eligible for promotion, but it
enforces strict operational criteria --- including stadium capacity thresholds
that even some top-flight clubs fail to meet.
"After analyzing events over the past few months, the Investigative Authority
determined there is sufficient evidence to formally launch an ex-officio
investigation into possible monopolistic practices within the Mexican
professional soccer market," the CNA stated.
The agency emphasized that the inquiry does not predetermine guilt. However, it
warned that if anti-competitive liability is established, the FMF could face
fines of up to 10 percent of its annual revenue.
___
See AP's full soccer coverage here
|
