Mexican football, on the "loose rope" of Cofece

The teams of the Liga MX, the first professional division of Mexican football, are presumed innocent since the Federal Commission for Economic Competition, who investigates them monopolistic practices in the player transfer market.

Suspicions about the exchange of national club contracts have increased in recent years as several players have protested and revealed details of what they called "Pact of the Knights", a kind of unwritten agreement in which it is determined which players can be signed and which ones do not appear in the summer and winter exchanges.

In an interview published this week in the newspaper The country, member of the Mexican national team and militant of Porto de la Liga, Héctor Herrera, He complained about how the ball professionals in Mexico are treated: "I think if the managers or managers of that were not so selfish … What they are trying to see for the future of the player, the Mexican national team because it involves a lot of things.If they did, there would be three times more Mexicans in Europe.Mexican Football He has high quality players who can be in Europe. "

The Cofece launched on June 29, an investigation into the terms of hiring players by professional clubs. Investigations into the League and the Mexican Football Federation will last between 30 and 120 days from that date, according to the agency's statement published in the Federation's Official Gazette. The unit specifies that the work period can be extended up to four times.

In the bulletin published yesterday, it is stated that the practices are considered as illicit, consistent "in the contracts, agreements, arrangements or combinations" between economic agents who modify the market to their advantage. The third section identifies as prohibited actions that "divide, distribute, assign or impose portions or segments of a current or potential market for goods and services, through specific or determinable customers, suppliers, times or spaces". ".

Therefore, the Cofece It contains elements for the initiation of an investigation, in accordance with Articles 66 and 71 of the Federal Economic Competition Act. The announcement "should not be understood as a prejudice on the responsibility of any economic agent", in this case the football teams.

According to ESPN, last Tuesday Cruz Azul and América clubs were informed of Cofece's investigations which were extended to the other teams of the league and to which they belonged, in accordance with the computer equipment provided by the television network. . An unnamed source told ESPN that at the moment no one could carry equipment and had already restricted the entry of new computers to the Federation. All employees of the League and the FMF are subject to this investigation, adds the source.