The death of relegation in Mexico – Plus Racing’s roadside celebrations in Uruguay & San Marino Calcio’s angry letter

Mexico’s Liga MX wants to copy the MLS model!The 18 club owners have voted to separate the league from the federation, move towards a franchise model, and permanently abolish promotion and relegation in practice.But hang on, wasn’t relegation already abolished in Mexican football? Don’t lots of top leagues worldwide function as a closed shop? And why are Mexico’s 2026 World Cup preparations under Javier Aguirre causing problems for the domestic league too?On this episode, we investigate the state of domestic football in Mexico and look ahead to the co-host’s controversial build-up to this summer’s global showpiece.Plus: Racing de Montevideo celebrate their maiden Uruguayan title on the roadside and San Marino Calcio’s players pen an angry letter.Jon Arnold's Substack is here and his viral Mexican football video on Instagram is here.Chapters:00:00 – Intro01:25 – Seismic shifts in Mexican football06:00 – The death of promotion & relegation10:05 – Closed shop leagues worldwide15:37 – Mexico’s pre-World Cup chaos21:38 – Racing’s roadside title celebration27:22 – San Marino Calcio’s angry letter