Arriola and Iturbide No-Show at Senate as Mexico Moves Closer to Restoring Promotion and Relegation

Two empty chairs said more than any speech could have. At the dialogue table set up inside Mexico's Senate to discuss the elimination of promotion and relegation in Mexican soccer, neither Mikel Arriola, commissioner of the Mexican Football Federation, nor Francisco Iturbide, president of Liga MX, showed up. Both had been formally invited, but when asked to confirm attendance, they simply stopped responding.

While the two executives were conspicuously absent, something happened inside the room that could shift the balance: the announcement of a legal reform aimed at reopening the door to Mexican soccer's top flight. The bill will be brought to the floor by Senator Clemente Castañeda, and so far it has backing from several factions within the Senate. The plan is for it to reach the floor on Tuesday, September 22, at midday.

Sporting Merit, Written Into Law

The underlying idea isn't for the Senate to start organizing tournaments or handing out trophies. What the proposal seeks is to enshrine promotion and relegation in Mexican law, as a requirement for national sports associations.

Tomorrow, a bill, we're putting a bill on the table, a piece of legislation, to expressly incorporate sporting merit among the obligations that national sports associations must observe. In other words, to put it simply, that promotion and relegation be written into Mexican law. Let's be clear, we're not looking to run soccer or replace the authorities. We want to propose rules that guarantee competition across all levels of sport, not just soccer. What we're after is a balance among sports organizations built on three essential principles: competition, merit and opportunityClemente Castañeda

Representatives from Liga de Expansión clubs did attend the meeting, along with staff from the National Antimonopoly Commission, which falls under the Ministry of Economy. That agency had already made public an investigation into Mexican professional soccer following complaints from fans over the elimination of promotion and relegation.

The Senate Isn't Backing Off

Arriola and Iturbide's no-show doesn't mean the issue is closed. Senate officials made clear they intend to keep knocking on the door.

Honestly, they're within their rights to accept or decline an invitation, but we're not going to stop involving them in this because it's essential. It's up to them to explain themselves, we're not going to prejudge anyone, the table remains open. Once there's a formal bill, we're obligated to open that space for listening, and we willClemente Castañeda

Meanwhile, the other front continues in Europe: the case before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where Liga de Expansión clubs filed to challenge the permanent elimination of promotion and relegation, remains active, though no hearing date has been confirmed yet.

What does seem to have traction, at least for now, is political support. The bill has backing from every bloc in the full Senate, so it's expected to be introduced as soon as possible with the process moving quickly. What remains to be seen is whether that's enough to eventually get Arriola and Iturbide to sit down face to face with those who have already made up their minds: not to let this issue die in silence.