Centralizing television rights is possible, says Emilio Maurer.
The idea is good, as long as there is clarity, he says.
Centralizing television rights is possible, says Emilio Maurer.
Karla Torrijos
La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, July 31, 2025, p. a12
The proposal by the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) to centralize the broadcast rights for Liga MX matches so that it can return to promotion to Mexican soccer is a good idea, as long as there is clarity in the process
, considered former director Emilio Maurer, who also stressed that something very important in this scheme is that whoever is in charge of making the negotiations should not be both judge and party, because otherwise, suspicions could arise
.
Former FMF commissioner Juan Carlos La Bomba Rodríguez indicated in 2023 that one of the goals during his administration would be to achieve this centralization by 2028, and explained that this would seek financial improvements for all involved.
It's in everyone's interest to make the business bigger; the only thing this would do is increase the size of the pie. What we need to do is get the rights holders to cede them to us, for the common good. The business would be much bigger if we all joined in
, he mentioned at the time.
Despite Rodríguez's departure from the FMF, the proposal remains on the table. Mikel Arriola, the current president of the organization, as well as of Liga MX, explained that centralizing television rights, which currently belong to each club, is the only real and concrete solution
for the return of promotion to Mexican soccer. He noted that allowing the league to manage them would allow for a more equitable distribution of benefits and help clubs with less solid finances participate on more competitive terms.
According to a report released a few days ago by the FMF, the estimated value of Liga MX is $2.747 billion. It is also the tenth most popular soccer tournament in the world, with 200 million followers, and ranks sixth internationally in average attendance, figures that position it as one of the most profitable in the world.
Given this situation, Maurer recalled that when he was part of the FMF, along with Francisco Ibarra (RIP), who was the president, while I was managing the First Division, we implemented precisely this centralization model, but we didn't come from or have any ties to any television station, and that's extremely important, because otherwise, we'll end up back in the same boat, potentially favoring one team. We must avoid backroom deals at all costs
.
He indicated that this system worked well at first, but it ended when we were kicked out of the FMF. The difficult thing here is convincing the most powerful clubs, those that do invest, to give up part of their profits. The idea is very sound, but how to do it is the most important thing
.
He also noted that something that must not be lost sight of is that the resources allocated to the Second Division teams are properly allocated to give them greater strength and finally bring back the promotion and relegation options that our football so desperately needs
.
Currently, several sports tournaments around the world operate under this system, where the league itself negotiates and sells the broadcast rights for all matches to one or more media companies. Prominent examples include the Premier League (England), La Liga (Spain), and the Bundesliga (Germany) in soccer, as well as the NFL (American football) and NBA (basketball) in the United States. In Mexico, the Mexican Baseball League (LMB) and the Mexican Pacific League also operate under this system.
▲ The Red and Black defense was unable to stop Argentine star Lionel Messi (right), who provided the assists for Inter Miami's 2-1 victory. AP Photo
From the Editorial Staff
La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, July 31, 2025, p. a12
Pumas and their new signing, Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas, struggled more than they could muster, but managed to secure a valuable 4-3 penalty shootout victory over Orlando City of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States yesterday in their debut in the 2025 Leagues Cup.
In the match held at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida, the game ended in a 1-1 draw after regulation time, so the winner had to be decided by a series of penalty kicks. Panamanian Adalberto Carrasquilla scored the decisive shot to give the victory to the Auriazules, and Navas saved a shot from the opponent.
The home side opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Rodrigo Schlegel took advantage of an assist in the box from teammate Martín Ojeda following a corner kick to head the ball past Navas, who was unable to prevent the early goal.
Despite the disadvantage, Efraín Juárez's team refused to give up and tried to equalize the score with shots from Jorge Ruvalcaba, Pedro Vite, Álvaro Angulo, and Guillermo Martínez; however, none of them were able to find the back of the net guarded by Peruvian Pedro Gallese before halftime.
In the second half, Pumas didn't slow down and continued to pressure their opponents in search of a goal. It wasn't until the 80th minute that Carrasquilla, following an assist from Piero Quispe, smashed home a right-footed shot in the box to make it 1-1 and keep his team in the lead.
In the penalty shootout, Pumas scored Angulo, Nathan Silva, Quispe, and Carrasquilla, while Guillermo Martínez missed his shot.
Martín Ojeda, Kyle Smith, and Luis Muriel scored for Orlando. Eduard Atuesta and César Araujo missed their shots, the latter's being saved by Navas.
In the return of Argentine star Lionel Messi to this tournament after missing the 2024 edition due to injury, his team, Inter Miami, secured its first win after beating Atlas 2-1 at Chase Stadium in Florida, with a goal from Marcelo Weigandt in the final play.
The former Barcelona player was decisive in this match, providing assists on both goals.
In the first, he noticed Venezuelan Telasco Segovia breaking free and set him up to finish, putting the MLS side ahead in the 57th minute. Later, Madrid's Rivaldo Lozano capitalized on a rebound inside the box to unleash a cross shot to level the score at 1-1 in the 80th minute. However, in the final minutes, Messi played a one-two with Uruguayan Luis Suárez and, with another precise pass, left Weigandt alone in front of the goal to score the last-minute goal that gave the Garzas the win, who featured the debut of Argentine midfielder Rodrigo de Paul.
At Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Georgia, Necaxa thrashed Atlanta United 3-1 thanks to a brace from Tomás Badaloni (77 and 90+1) and an own goal from Brad Guzan (12). Alexey Miranchuk scored for the American team.
America loses on penalties to Real Salt Lake
▲ Israel Reyes (left) of the Águilas missed his 11-yard attempt, consummating his team's loss. AP Photo
From the Editorial Staff
La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, July 31, 2025, p. a31
América fell on penalties (3-1) to Real Salt Lake, after a 2-2 draw in regulation time, in a Leagues Cup match played at America First Field in Utah. The Eagles sent the match to a penalty shootout thanks to Erick Sánchez, who volleyed a powerful shot past goalkeeper Rafael Barbosa in the final minutes of the match.
The Coapa team went down early on the scoreboard with a goal from Diego Luna (16), taking advantage of a poor exit by goalkeeper Luis Ángel Malagón in the penalty area. Uruguayan Brian Rodríguez (42) tied the match with a superb free kick that exploded into the top corner.
Before the end of the first half, a header from William Agada gave the Americans the lead. In the penalty shootout, América missed shots from Henry Martín, Israel Reyes, and José Raúl Zúñiga.
By losing on penalties, América earned just one point and complicates its journey to the quarterfinals, as only the top four teams in each league advance. André Jardine's team continues its poor run in international tournaments, having been eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions Cup and missing the Club World Cup.
In other matches in the competition, Minnesota United thrashed Querétaro 4-1 and Portland Timbers did the same by beating Atlético San Luis 4-0.
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