'I wouldn’t let them be in the same division' - La Liga president Javier Tebas believes multi-team ownership is ruining Liga MX

La Liga president Javier Tebas has delivered sharp criticism of multi-ownership in Mexican football—a practice that has stirred significant controversy in Liga MX in recent years.

Tebas was unequivocal: if it were up to him, clubs with the same owner wouldn’t be allowed to compete in the same division.

“I wouldn’t allow them to be in the same category,” he said, citing concerns over sporting integrity and competitive transparency.

The comments came during an interview with David Faitelson on Faitelson Sin Censura for TUDN. In Mexico, entities like Grupo Pachuca, Grupo Orlegi, TV Azteca, and Grupo Caliente have come under scrutiny for owning multiple teams across Liga MX and the expansion league.

Tebas also took aim at Liga MX’s lack of independence, arguing that its reliance on the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) hampers both economic growth and sporting development. In his view, a professional league should have the autonomy to make strategic and business decisions without external interference.

His remarks come at a pivotal time for Liga MX, following Club León’s exclusion from the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup due to shared ownership with Pachuca. That decision has reignited calls for structural reform in Mexican football.

Tebas addressed why Mexican football is not very visible in Europe and suggested a possible solution: "It is not seen much [Mexican football]. We need to be honest about it because I think there is work to be done on the brand. That’s one of the things Mexico lacks, despite having great players. You bring in foreign players with renowned [reputations], but the league’s championship brand isn’t being worked on," he explained.

"The Liga MX lacks that brand concept in Europe. Just like it is done a lot in the United States, although I think there is still room for growth," he added.

Finally, Tebas commented on the issues caused by Liga MX not being autonomous from the Mexican Football Federation. "We [La Liga] are part of the Federation, but we are autonomous. That’s the important thing. The interests and goals are different. The Federation manages the national team, non-professional football. Non-professional football has a different purpose, even in terms of audiovisual exploitation, sponsorship exploitation, the professional clubs' requirements, and how they need to be organized. It’s a different world. They can coexist under the Federation’s umbrella, but they cannot coexist at the economic, sports, or commercial strategy levels," he explained.

"And in fact, because most professional football leagues are autonomous within their federations. The only major league or major professional football competition that doesn’t have autonomy in the world is the Mexican one," he concluded.

"If Mexico had better organization, it would be the fifth or sixth best league in the world. Mexico works well, Mexican football makes good money. For teams to surpass the level of what they earn in Mexico, it’s the big clubs. I would like more Mexicans to go, it's a great league, and it just needs a little bit more organization to become one of the biggest in the world," Tebas stated.

Currently, in Liga MX, there are three companies that own one or more teams. The television network TV Azteca owns Mazatlán FC and Puebla. Meanwhile, Grupo Caliente owns Xolos de Tijuana and Querétaro. Lastly, Grupo Pachuca owns Tuzos and León.