A decision taken by the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and the Professional Club League sparked a crisis involving two Argentine stars. It all started after Rosario Central became league champions, as they were the team that scored the most goals during the year.
The team, represented by world champion Angel Di Maria, coach Ariel Holan, president Gonzalo Belloso and captain Jorge Bron, received the cup during a visit to the professional league headquarters in Puerto Madero.
Rosario achieved the new title after the team finished the regular season of the opening and closing tournaments with a total of 66 points, 4 points behind Boca Juniors. Under previous regulations, only the team with the highest annual result was guaranteed a place in the Copa Libertadores.
Until it was “unanimously” approved by the Top Caps and promoted by the AFC President, Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia, the decision to award Central a star was heavily criticized by fans of other teams, as it had not been announced at the beginning of the season.
The biggest voice against the award, Club Estudiantes de la Plata, represented by Vice President Pascual Caiella, denied that there would be a vote on recognition as 2025 league champion.
However, the association ordered the players to form a corridor to welcome Rosario Central. During the match held at the Gigante de Arroito Stadium, which ended in one of the most controversial scenes in local football.
Estudiantes turned their backs in protest as Di Maria and his teammates entered the field, an act that was said to have been instigated by team president and another Argentine soccer star, Juan Sebastian Veron.
The players’ protest sparked mixed reactions in Argentina, with support from figures such as President Javier Miley, who opposes Tapia due to his closeness to Peronism and who shared a photo wearing an Estudiantes shirt, despite not being a La Plata fan.
Miley accused Tapia of demoralizing Argentine football, and took the opportunity to cancel the scheduled trip to Washington to follow the World Cup draw scheduled for December 5, where he will be alongside the President of the Argentine Football Association.
Targeted by rival fans on social media, Di Maria spoke out, saying the team felt like champions and that the decision was not theirs.
Following the protest, the AFC Disciplinary Tribunal began investigation proceedings into Estudiantes’ pre-match conduct and gave the club 48 hours, through its president and captain, to present its defence.
Two days later, during a ceremony, Tapia commented on Miley’s situation and position, drawing attention to the difficulties he faced throughout the years he spent at the helm of Argentine football and the possibility of making future changes after his term.
“It’s not the first time we’ve gone through this,” Tapia said. “I have no doubt that when my term ends, everyone who wants to run will have this opportunity.”
The AFC Disciplinary Court decided to impose disciplinary action on Veron and the Estudiantes players. The idol was suspended for six months from any football-related activity. The participating players received a two-match ban, which will be implemented at the start of the Apertura 2026 tournament, so as not to harm the current competition.
Furthermore, Estudiantes captain Santiago Núñez received an additional penalty that prevents him from serving as team captain for three months. The La Plata club was also fined the equivalent of 4,000 tickets (about 425,000 Brazilian reals).
The Argentine Football Association stated that the decision is not yet final, and there is a possibility of pardoning the players before the start of the next tournament, but this will not apply to Veron.
This Friday (28), Veron spoke for the first time about the conflict. He denied during an interview with Radio Con Vos that the differentiation between Rosario Central had been discussed at the board of directors meeting, indicating that what happened was recognition and not the granting of an official title.
“Actually, what was taken into consideration and what was not on the agenda was recognition, which is completely different from giving a star to the team,” the former midfielder said.
Veron emphasized that his criticism was not against Rosario Central, but rather against the idea of creating a title that was not stipulated at the beginning of the season. He also denied the existence of political aspirations in the AFC and stated that his only goal was to improve football in both sporting and social aspects.
The president of Estudiantes has criticized the lack of debate in Argentine football, suggesting that decisions are made unilaterally without opposition, in another scathing exchange with ‘Czech’ Tapia.