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🇦🇷 Argentina /Elections & Politics

Vélez president Fabián Berlanga predicts ruling date in Boca complaint but remains pessimistic

From Clarín · () Spanish

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

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • Vélez filed a complaint alleging Boca used six foreign players in its Copa Argentina match, one more than permitted on the match sheet under Argentine football rules.
  • Vélez president Fabián Berlanga said the AFA Disciplinary Tribunal will announce its ruling on September 17.
  • Boca maintains that a violation occurs only if six foreign players take part in the match, while Vélez argues that listing them is enough to breach the rule.

Vélez president Fabián Berlanga has confirmed that Argentina’s AFA Disciplinary Tribunal will announce its ruling on the club’s complaint against Boca on September 17. Despite defending the protest, Berlanga said he does not expect Vélez to receive a favorable decision.

Vélez lodged the complaint after its elimination by Boca in the Copa Argentina, alleging that Boca listed six foreign players, one more than permitted under Argentine football regulations. Berlanga said the club’s legal department advised it to file the case and that he spoke with AFA president Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia before formally submitting the protest.

The legal department advised us to file a submission. It is prohibited for them to have six players on the team sheet. Those with dual citizenship, including Argentine citizenship, do not count. Boca had six foreign players. Residency has nothing to do with it.

· Fabián BerlangaThe Vélez president explained the basis of the club’s complaint to Radio La Red.

“The legal department advised us to file a submission. It is prohibited for them to have six players on the team sheet. Those with dual citizenship, including Argentine citizenship, do not count. Boca had six foreign players. Residency has nothing to do with it,” Berlanga told Radio La Red.

He said that, if the infraction is confirmed, Boca should forfeit the match and the result should be recorded as 3-0. Berlanga said Tapia told him the complaint was within the rules and could be submitted. He also acknowledged that he did not remember whether there was relevant precedent.

The consequence is a forfeit: the result is 3-0.

· Fabián BerlangaBerlanga described the sanction Vélez believes should apply if Boca breached the rule.

The First Division regulations allow clubs to register up to six foreign players, but only five may be included on the match sheet for a game. The dispute concerns how that limit should be interpreted. Vélez says listing six players itself constitutes an infraction. Boca argues that a sanction applies only when all six actually participate.

“The feeling is that they are not going to rule in our favor, because there is an operation by journalists who cover Boca and have made a lot of false claims when discussing the matter,” Berlanga said. The tribunal must determine whether Boca breached the rule and, if so, what penalty should apply.

The feeling is that they are not going to rule in our favor, because there is an operation by journalists who cover Boca and have made a lot of false claims when discussing the matter.

· Fabián BerlangaHe expressed pessimism about the tribunal’s decision and criticized media coverage of the dispute.
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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