The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has sanctioned Juan Sebastián Verón, president of Estudiantes de La Plata, with a six-month suspension from all football-related activities.
The measure was taken after the Estudiantes players refused to perform the traditional guard of honor to Rosario Central last Sunday.
The protest took place before the round of 16 match of the Clausura tournament.
In addition to the sanction against Verón, the eleven players who participated in the protest have been suspended for two matches.
The gesture of Estudiantes occurred three days after the Argentine soccer authorities made the controversial decision to award a new trophy to Rosario Central.
Traditionally, the Argentine league has two championships, the Apertura and the Clausura.
The surprise came when the title of “League Champion” was established for the team that accumulated the most points in the general classification.
Rosario Central added the most points (66) in the regular phases of the Apertura and Clausura.
Star forward Ángel Di María accepted the trophy last week.
Students were the only team that publicly rejected the decision, denouncing that the measure was not put to a vote, as required by the regulations.El presidente de Estudiantes y ex centrocampista del Manchester United, Juan Sebastián Verón, ha sido suspendido por seis meses. Gustavo Garello/Getty ImagesOn Sunday, at the Gigante de Arroyito stadium, the Estudiantes players had to form a guard of honor for the champions.
Instead, the visiting players turned their backs on the champions, an unprecedented gesture in Argentine football.
Students won the match 1-0 with a goal by Edwuin Cetré, eliminating Rosario Central.
The league’s disciplinary panel confirmed the sanctions for Verón and his players.
Verón, who is president of the club nine years after returning to his childhood team for the last season of his playing career, was suspended for six months from sporting functions.
The former Manchester United, Chelsea, Lazio and Argentina national team player has been a frequent critic of the AFA and its president, Claudio Tapia, and it was determined that the decision to violate the protocol was his.
The two-match suspension for the players will be served in the first tournament of 2026.
This means that players like Uruguayan goalkeeper Fernando Muslera will be eligible to play against Central Córdoba in the Clausura quarterfinals.
In addition to these suspensions, captain Santiago Núñez has been suspended from acting as captain on the field for the next three months.
Estudiantes de La Plata, after the decision, expressed on social media: “The Board of Directors expresses its absolute support for its president Juan Sebastián Verón, Santiago Núñez and the entire professional squad.”
In recent years, the AFA, under Tapia’s leadership, has been characterized by constant changes in tournament formats and promotion and relegation rules.
However, a new trophy had never been introduced before after the season had already started.
