Mexico: Liga MX suspends relegations for 5 years

ISTANBUL

Mexico suspended relegations and promotions between its top two football divisions for five years as the coronavirus pandemic worsened the financial crisis in the country.

Eighteen Mexican league football owners in Liga MX voted for the move, the division's president Enrique Bonilla said in a video conference on Friday night.

Clubs in the second division, Ascenso MX, will receive $845,000 each year for the five seasons, Bonilla added.

Over 500 people in Mexico have died from the novel coronavirus as of Saturday, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, the virus has spread to at least 185 countries and regions.

The pandemic has killed over 156,000 people, and infected in excess of 2.27 million, while more than 579,000 patients have recovered, according to figures compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.