The owners of Liga MX club Querétaro must sell the club by the end of the year after a fan brawl at a recent home game left 26 people injured.
While no official deaths have been reported, fans on social media who were present at the game have alleged that they saw multiple fatalities.
The club will also play home matches with no fans for one year while the supporters’ groups have been suspended for three years.
Querétaro’s Liga MX Femenil side is also included in the ban. Their match against Tigres UANL was postponed following the brawl.
“Starting today, measures will be implemented that will mark a before and after in the protocols that must be observed and followed,” Liga MX president Mikel Arriola said at a news conference. “We are facing the problem head-on, with the aim of changing this negative image from the previous weekend.”
Ownership of Querétaro will return to previous owners Grupo Caliente, who will be tasked with selling the club. Additionally, the current ownership group (Gabriel Solares, Adolfo Ríos, Greg Taylor and Manuel Velarde) will be banned from league-related activities for five years and will be fined 1.5 million pesos ($70,450).
According to The Athletic, the club was close to being expelled from professional soccer.