UdeG and seven other teams oppose the certification process
The Black Lions of the University of Guadalajara (UdeG) announced their definitive withdrawal from the controversial certification process required for promotion to the Liga MX. This decision adds to the public rejection of seven other clubs: Tlaxcala, Irapuato, Tampico Madero (invited participants), Dorados and Tapatío (affected by the timeshare rule), as well as Cimarrones and Celaya from the Expansion League. The teams described the current mechanism as “opaque, exclusive and without technical or legal foundations.”
Criticism of the certification system
According to internal documents to which this media had access, the clubs argue that:
- Evaluation criteria lack transparency and change without prior notification
- There are discretionary requirements that benefit teams with greater capital
- There is no clear regulatory framework endorsed by the Mexican Football Federation (FMF)
“It is an institutionalized trap,” declared an anonymous director of the Black Lions, who revealed that the process requires investments in infrastructure over 25 million pesos, without real guarantees of promotion. Sports analysts point out that this controversy reflects the structural crisis of the promotion system in Mexican soccer, where only two teams have been promoted in the last decade.
Impact on the football ecosystem
Lack of consensus could:
- Delay the 2025-2026 season of the Expansion League
- Generate legal actions against the FMF for restriction of free competition
- Produce the migration of young talent to the minor leagues
Sports law experts consulted warn that, without regulatory reform, Mexico will fail to comply with FIFA standards on competitive mobility. They highlight that the last direct promotion due to sporting merit occurred in 2019, when FC Juárez achieved its place in the first division.
What’s next? The dissident clubs formed a working group to present an alternative proposal to the Liga MX Assembly in August. Meanwhile, the FMF maintains official silence on the conflict.
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Sources: Internal club documents, FIFA 2024 reports, ProdeporteMX analysis
