The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) took 61 days to compile their review of the national team’s failure at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
They have since come up with a proposal to try and rectify these failings.
One such plan is to drastically change the format of the nation’s top division, Liga MX, in an attempt to provide more senior minutes to local players.
Yon de Luisa, president of the FMF, accompanied by Mikel Arriola, president of Liga MX, announced changes to the structure of the Mexican National Team and the appointment of a new technical director in Rodrigo Ares de Parga.
However, the coach who will be in charge of the team in the build-up to the 2026 World Cup has yet to be appointed.
“We made an in-depth analysis, looking for an objective self-criticism, with feedback from the coaching staff, from our players, and from each FMF director who participated in the World Cup,” Yon de Luisa explained.
Liga MX proposes shorter tournament with two leagues
The discussion related to the Mexican National Team was uneventful and the most important part of the press conference was the proposal to change the format of Liga MX.
Mikel Arriola, president of Liga MX, announced that an additional league will be created in addition to shortening the season, and these changes will come into being from the 2023/24 season onwards.
“The Liga MX will have a new championship, there will continue to be a league, but an annual champion will also be awarded based on points scored during the tournament,” Mike Arriola detailed.
Reduction of foreigners in Mexican football
In another of the reforms to be made to Mexican football is the limitation in the number of foreign players per match to seven players from the 2023-2024 season.
Promotion and relegation in Liga MX
A focus group will define a definitive solution to the promotion and relegation process, which will enhance the competitive nature of the Expansion League, whilst at the same time reflecting the real economic conditions of Mexican football.
These intricacies of the system are to be presented in May of 2023.
Elimination of play-offs
Another of the changes announced by the Mexican directors refers to the elimination of the play-offs, created to help teams obtain more resources.
This was criticized for being too lenient as 12 of 18 clubs reached the play-offs.
“We are in a position to eliminate the play-offs for the Apertura 2023 and beyond. The reclassification was implemented in the Apertura 2020 to counteract the economic effects of the pandemic,” Arriola declared.
A promise to eliminate dual-ownership conflicts
Finally, Mikel Arriola also announced that he will present a proposal to eliminate multiple ownership, using the best leagues in the world as an example.
If approved, Pachuca and Leon will have to separate, as will Santos Laguna and Atlas.
Although, this is not the first time that the issue has been raised and it does not seem that there is any real will to eliminate multiple ownership from the owners within Liga MX.
