BREAKING: No ineligible player! The rule Liga MX used to clear América over Ícaro da Conceição's shirt number change
In Statement 081/2026, Liga MX confirmed América followed the rules when it changed Ícaro da Conceição's number from 27 to 217 after moving his registration to the U-21 squad and securing his Single Card.
Mexican football's latest soap opera is over. Amid a wave of speculation that Club América could be docked points, Liga BBVA MX issued Statement 081/2026 to officially confirm that the Eagles did not break any rule by fielding Brazilian Ícaro da Conceição with two different shirt numbers during the Apertura 2026.
From 27 to 217
The league explained that the midfielder began the tournament registered with the first team wearing 27, but on September 10 the club formally and promptly moved his registration to the U-21 category, in line with Article 24.3 of Appendix I of that youth division's regulations, to free up a foreign-player spot.
That squad move is what forced the number change: once registered with the U-21 side, the rules require the player to wear a number within that category's exclusive range, from 181 to 230, which is why he was given 217.
The articles that saved América
Under Article 53 of the U-21 Regulations and Article 60 of the Liga MX rules, the category change was a "duly justified reason" to authorize a number change within the same tournament, ruling out any administrative violation.
'There is no violation of the Competition Regulations': Liga BBVA MX.
Finally, the league noted that the club obtained the player's Single Card within the legal deadline, which allowed him to play in First Division matches again wearing 217 without breaching the foreign-player quota or putting the team's points at risk ahead of the Liguilla.
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