Estudiantes Tecos Relegated For The First Time In Their History

Estudiantes Tecos was founded in 1935, the same time as the university they are associated with, Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara. They joined the Federacion Mexicana de Futbol in 1971 and achieved promotion to the Mexican Primera Division in 1974. They have been in the top flight ever since, until now.

On Friday, Tecos drew Puebla 1-1, putting their top flight status into jeopardy. The team one place above them in the relegation table, Club Atlas, defeated a Monterrey side who rested a number of first choice players ahead of the CONCACAF Champions League final, and that win put them seven points ahead of Tecos with two matches to go. This means that Tecos have mathematically been relegated, and after the last two regular season games in the Clausura, they will head down to the Liga de Ascenso.

Tecos entered the Clausura in last place and have done very little to move themselves off the bottom. Knowing that they would likely need at least 20 points from 17 matches to stay up, they managed just 11 from their first 15 games. Since August, Tecos have sacked two managers and another has resigned. Current manager Hector Hugo Eugui might not be given the chance to manage the team in the second division, and Tecos could appoint their fifth full-time manager in one year to start next season.

Surviving from 1974 to 2012 in the top flight is no small feat for a club that is only the third biggest in its own city. They’ve had a number of miracle escapes from relegation in the past, but luck has finally run out. Club America, Chivas Guadalajara, Pumas UNAM, Cruz Azul, Club Tijuana, Santos Laguna and Jaguares Chiapas are the remaining teams who have never been relegated from the top flight of Mexican football. Only the first four clubs in that list have had longer spells in the top flight than Tecos.