Mexico's National Antitrust Commission (CNA) announced on Monday that it has opened a formal investigation into potential monopolistic practices in domestic soccer, after fans lodged complaints about anti-competitive behavior in the sport.
The probe zeroes in on the absence of promotion and relegation between Mexico's top flight and the second division. Second-division teams and players have been protesting for weeks, pushing for the right to move up to the first division the way they used to before the system was frozen.
Some lower-tier clubs went even further last year, taking their grievance to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
How the ban came about
The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) suspended promotion in 2019, with an agreement at the time to restore the system by 2026. But according to the report, there are currently no active plans in motion to actually bring it back.
Owners of the 18 first-division clubs voted for the six-season suspension, arguing it would help stabilize second-division teams financially and structurally.
The FMF's position is that lower-tier teams remain technically eligible for promotion, but the federation applies strict operational criteria to qualify -- including stadium capacity requirements that even some existing top-flight clubs don't meet.
What the CNA is investigating
"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 said in its statement.
The commission was careful to note that opening an investigation doesn't presume guilt on the FMF's part. Still, it flagged the stakes involved: if anti-competitive liability is ultimately established, the federation could face fines of up to 10 percent of its annual revenue.
