Special reportKey facts, context and documents
Five amparo lawsuits challenging the elimination of promotion and relegation in Mexican soccer have been accepted, Del Real & Asociados said in a statement released on October 9. The law firm also announced that a hearing on the requested permanent suspension is approaching. This is progress in the litigation; it is not yet an order to reopen Liga MX.
The distinction matters to any fan hoping to see their team move up based on what it does on the field. An accepted lawsuit allows the proceedings to continue. A suspension measure can temporarily protect those bringing the case. A ruling on the merits addresses a different question: whether the challenged actions violated their rights. These are distinct stages and do not have the same effects.
What the statement says and what remains to be verified
The firm, headed by Miguel Darío del Real Campos, reports that five amparo lawsuits have been accepted «in different parts of the country». It adds that it has filed appeals against decisions rejecting other lawsuits. The document does not identify the five case files, their courts, or an exact date for the announced hearing.
Another relevant point is the receipt of official reports from the National Commission for Physical Culture and Sport and the Mexican Football Federation. According to the law firm, both acknowledge that they are subject to the General Law on Physical Culture and Sport. The firm considers this to strengthen its argument that soccer is subject to the national legal system.
That is the interpretation of the party bringing the case. The statement does not include the full reports or a court ruling adopting that interpretation. Nor does it mean the FMF has acknowledged a violation or agreed to restore promotion. To understand the procedural scope of those documents, the case file and the court’s assessment must be reviewed.
The law firm itself sets a limit on its announcement: «The acceptance of the amparo lawsuits is procedural progress; the decision on the merits is still pending». The key point, therefore, is that the legal challenge remains ongoing, not that there is already a winner.
The upcoming hearing: a temporary measure, not the end of the case
The announced hearing concerns the permanent suspension. In this context, the word «permanent» distinguishes this measure from a provisional suspension; it does not make the hearing the final ruling on the amparo lawsuit. The Amparo Law separates consideration of the suspension from the decision on the merits of the dispute.
Articles 144, 146, and 147 establish that the court must assess the elements of the incident and specify whether it grants or denies the suspension, along with its effects and conditions. It is not enough to know that a measure was requested: it is necessary to read which actions it covers, whom it protects, and what it requires someone to do or refrain from doing.
Article 138 sets a deadline for scheduling the hearing on the suspension, but that does not make it possible to infer the hearing date from the day this statement circulated. Without the corresponding court order, announcing a countdown would mean getting ahead of information the document does not provide.
For fans, the practical consequence is simple: this announcement alone does not change the schedule, alter a standings table, or award a place in the First Division. Even if a favorable suspension is granted, its specific terms would need to be reviewed before attributing effects to it across the entire competition.
The court case and the Senate process are moving along separate paths
The debate has also reached Congress. On September 23, the PAN parliamentary group published Mauricio Vila’s remarks in support of the initiative promoted by Clemente Castañeda on promotion and relegation. Those remarks document support for a legislative proposal; they do not, by themselves, establish that an amendment has been approved and published as current law.
It is important to distinguish the two paths. The court case examines actions and rights in specific case files. Congress is discussing changes to the legal framework. Political support does not replace a court ruling, and the acceptance of an amparo lawsuit does not replace the legislative process.
RÉCORD’s earlier coverage, from September 9, had already reported an initial acceptance. The new statement brings the number reported by the law firm to five. This update, attributed to its source, is what allows us to describe progress compared with what was announced a month earlier.
What is really at stake for clubs and fans
The debate over sporting merit has a very concrete implication: what connection exists between competing in one division and having the possibility of reaching the next. For people who follow clubs outside the top division, that expectation gives a season meaning beyond winning a single title.
But a sporting aspiration does not allow anyone to predict the outcome of a lawsuit. Nor is it enough to count lawsuits: five accepted cases are not five favorable rulings, nor do they automatically add up to a particular probability. Each case file may involve different challenged actions, parties, and decisions. Without knowing the details, treating them as a single ruling would be an oversimplification.
The information that will make it possible to measure the next step will be documentary: the acceptance orders, the hearing date, the ruling on the suspension, and its operative provisions. After that, possible appeals and a potential ruling on the merits will need to be distinguished. That sequence provides a more useful standard than interpreting every statement as confirmation that promotion has been restored.
The document that prompted the announcement
We reproduce the statement so you can compare the firm’s claims with the scope explained here. It is a statement by the lawyers bringing the case, not a ruling from the Judiciary. This report does not include a publicly available copy of the five case files or the full reports from CONADE and FMF.
Read the full statement from Del Real & Asociados
Also see our Liga BBVA MX coverage, with the schedule, results, and tournament standings. The legal status of promotion should be followed through its rulings; the ongoing competition, through its official data.
