MEXICO Law and Practice Contributed by: Héctor Kuri, Ricardo García, Lisandro Herrera and Xavier Careaga, Galicia Abogados, S.C.
informed consent, implement appropriate security measures, and comply with transparency obliga - tions. Processing of sensitive biometric data requires
Under Mexican administrative law, parties must generally exhaust available administrative remedies before seeking judicial review. However, parties retain the constitutional right to judicial protection (amparo) to challenge decisions violating fundamental rights. Mexican courts distinguish between sporting or tech - nical decisions (where they defer to sports bodies’ expertise) and legal or rights-based disputes (where courts exercise full review authority). 6.2 ADR Mechanisms The primary administrative mechanism for sports disputes is the Commission of Appeal and Arbitra - tion of Sport ( Comisión de Apelación y Arbitraje del Deporte or CAAD), established under the LGCFD. As of August 2025, CAAD has undergone significant insti - tutional restructuring, being absorbed into the Min - istry of Public Education’s ( Secretaría de Educación Pública or SEP) administrative structure. This transi - tion has affected the independence of the administra - tive sports dispute resolution mechanism, as SEP now functions both as administrator of disputes and as a potential party to proceedings involving CONADE. Historically, CAAD provided three statutory mecha - nisms: the appeals resource (enabling individuals registered in RENADE or members of SINADE to challenge decisions), arbitration, and mediation and conciliation. Whilst these mechanisms remain formally available, the 2025 institutional changes have led to increased reliance on alternative routes, including amparo proceedings and private commercial arbitra - tion under the Federal Code of Commerce. Sports federations, including the FMF, maintain inter - nal disciplinary and dispute resolution procedures. International sports disputes are increasingly resolved through the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). In 2025, multiple Liga de Expansión clubs filed proceed - ings before CAS challenging Liga MX and the FMF regarding the suspension of promotion and relegation. CAS arbitration clauses have become standard in pro - fessional player contracts and international transfer agreements. 6.3 Sanctions, Remedies and Challenges Sport governing bodies in Mexico derive authority from a hybrid status as private associations perform -
express written consent. 5.8 Data Protection
In Mexico, sports-related data is primarily governed by the LFPDPPP, updated in March 2025. The 2025 amendments strengthened enforcement by transfer - ring authority to the Ministry for Anti-Corruption and Good Government. The LFPDPPP applies to personal data processed by private entities, including sports organisations, encompassing basic information, finan - cial data, and sensitive data such as health status, medical evaluations, injury records, and anti-doping test results. Data controllers in the sports sector must provide pri - vacy notices detailing ARCO rights (access, rectifica - tion, cancellation, opposition), obtain consent before processing data (express written consent required for sensitive data), implement security measures, and ensure recipients of data transfers assume equivalent obligations. Professional clubs process substantial volumes of per - sonal data requiring LFPDPPP compliance, including performance monitoring through wearable technol - ogy, spectator management through biometric iden - tification, player transfer processes involving cross- border data transfers, and anti-doping programmes processing highly sensitive health information. The GDPR does not directly apply in Mexico. How - ever, Mexican sports organisations dealing with Euro - pean entities may need GDPR compliance when pro - cessing data of EU residents. The LFPDPPP’s similar principles facilitate cross-border compliance.
6. Dispute Resolution 6.1 Role of National Court Systems
Mexico does not have specialised courts in sports law. Disputes may be brought before civil, commer - cial, intellectual property, administrative, labour, or criminal courts, depending on the nature of the dis - pute.
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