Liga MX side Veracruz has been disaffiliated from Mexico's first division, the Mexican federation (FMF) announced on Thursday.
The federation's assembly had voted in favor of kicking Los Tiburones Rojos out on Wednesday, following a financial breakdown at the club, sources had told ESPN's Rene Tovar.
FMF president Yon de Luisa confirmed disafilliation in an interview with TUDN on Thursday, saying that "the disaffiliation of Veracruz in all its categories was decided unanimously."
De Luisa added that the club's players players are all now free agents and can sign with whoever they want.
The league will start with 18 clubs for the Clausura 2020 season in January, and there will be no relegation at its conclusion in May. The league will relegate again after the 2020-2021 season, with one team going down based on points per game over the past three years (six seasons).
Veracruz won only one league game in the whole of 2019 and owner Fidel Kuri had major problems paying wages, leading to an investigation by the FMF last month into the ongoings at the club.
A seven-point document was produced by the FMF to prove that Veracruz violated federation statues, which led to a vote by club presidents to disaffiliate Veracruz from all competitions organized by the Mexican federation.
The only remaining obstacle to making the decision official is for the FMF to notify Kuri.
Veracruz had become a headache for the league. The club underwent a 41-game winless streak in the league from Sept. 1, 2018, until Oct. 29, 2019 and players complained of not being paid for more than six months.