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🇦🇷 Argentina /Sports

Vélez files complaint with AFA over Boca’s alleged improper lineup and seeks Copa Argentina qualification

From Clarín · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement In the courts
  • Vélez Sarsfield has challenged Boca Juniors’ 0-0 Copa Argentina match, which Boca won on penalties, alleging that Boca improperly listed six foreign players.
  • Vélez cited Article 31 of the AFA-Futbolistas Argentinos Agremiados collective agreement, which allows only five foreign players to appear on an official match sheet.
  • The club is asking the AFA Disciplinary Tribunal to award it qualification for the quarter-finals, while the applicable sanction remains the key issue.

One word, and how it is interpreted, could determine the fate of Vélez Sarsfield’s protest against Boca Juniors. The Liniers club says Boca violated the rules by including an ineligible foreign player in their Copa Argentina round-of-16 match in Córdoba, which Boca won on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

Vélez’s board announced on Saturday that it had formally challenged the match before the AFA Disciplinary Tribunal. In a statement published on its website, the club rejected the idea that the dispute involved either interpretation or an refereeing judgment. “This is not a matter of interpretation or an arbitration discussion. It concerns compliance with a current rule and official documentation proving that it was breached,” the club said.

Vélez is demanding a place in the quarter-finals. “Vélez will defend this position through the appropriate institutional channels because it believes equality before the rules cannot be optional,” the statement added.

This is not a matter of interpretation or an arbitration discussion. It concerns compliance with a current rule and official documentation proving that it was breached.

· Vélez Sarsfield boardThe club used the statement to argue that Boca’s lineup violated a binding regulation, rather than reflecting a disputed refereeing interpretation.

The rule at the center of the complaint appears clear. Article 31 of the collective agreement between the AFA and Futbolistas Argentinos Agremiados, amended in January 2019, says clubs in Argentina’s top division may register up to six foreign players, but only five, professionals or amateurs, may be listed for any official match.

According to the article, Boca listed six foreign players in Córdoba: Colombians Álvaro Montero and Sebastián Villa and Uruguay’s Leandro Lozano started; Ecuador’s Enner Valencia and Chile’s Carlos Palacios entered in the second half; and Paraguay’s Ángel Romero remained on the bench without playing. Vélez argues that the breach requires its opponent’s disqualification. The possible way for Boca to avoid that outcome lies in Article 18 of the AFA Disciplinary Code, which sets out the relevant sanctions.

Vélez will defend this position through the appropriate institutional channels because it believes equality before the rules cannot be optional.

· Vélez Sarsfield boardThe statement explained why the club was pursuing its protest before the AFA disciplinary authorities.
About this summary

Originally published by Clarín in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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