Relegation From Mexican Primera Will Likely Cost Necaxa $20M This Year Alone

Promotion and relegation may be a fun thing for fans of MLS to think about, but there are very real financial costs to such a system. In the Mexican Primera, relegation is decided by looking at the points per match over the last two years (four seasons) and demoting whichever team has the lowest figure. This year, that team will be Necaxa. As FMF State of Mind, SB Nationa's Mexican futbol blog, reports, the move is going to be costly:

This will be the second time in three years that Necaxa gets relegated, taking a significant financial toll on the club. According to a report at Medio Tiempo, the financial damage to the club could be as much as $20 million over just the next season. This doesn't take into account the enormous amount of money that was ultimately wasted on players in January, what an extended period of time in the second division might do to Necaxa's brand, or how much money they will have to spend on new players when they come back up in order to stay in the top flight.

This will be the second time in three years that Necaxa has been relegated, quite a blow for a team that is among the most storied in Mexico. It also continues an amazingly poor run that has seen Necaxa lose an estimated $50 million over the last three years. Among their more notable gaffes was the selling of Hugo Rodallega to Wigan of the EPL for about $7 million. While that infusion of money was certainly nice, the loss of Rodallega has greatly impacted their ability to avoid relegation, which has been far more costly.