Former Chelsea playmaker, Juan Sebastian Veron, has been handed a six-month football ban after revolting against a controversial rule change in Argentina.
Juan Sebastian Veron has been slapped with a six-month suspension from all football operations after becoming embroiled in a major controversy in the Argentine game. The ex-Chelsea midfielder, now serving as Estudiantes president, came under fire after the club refused to give Rosario Central a guard of honour following their disputed title win this season.
Rosario were crowned champions after the Argentina Football Association (AFA) made an unexpected mid-season rule change; a move that has caused uproar across the country. The alteration, which ultimately worked in Rosario’s favour as they earned a first league triumph since 1987, angered rival clubs who felt the goalposts had been unfairly shifted.
Veron, who played for Chelsea during the early Roman Abramovich era, is reported to have encouraged his squad to protest the decision. As a result, Estudiantes’ players opted against forming a traditional guard of honour before their latest fixture, instead turning their backs as Rosario entered the pitch.
The incident took place ahead of a last-16 knockout clash on Sunday, which Estudiantes went on to win 1-0. The gesture quickly became a flashpoint in Argentine football and it has now led to punishments for both Veron and several members of his squad.
AFA’s disciplinary tribunal ruled that the 50-year-old had created “an attitude of open disapproval,” describing the act as “a form of symbolic violence and an affront to the values of respect and sportsmanship.”
Veron joined Chelsea in 2003, for £15m, becoming one of Abramovich’s early marquee signings as the club started its rapid climb towards the top of English football.
More than 20 years later, that fee looks modest, especially after Liverpool shattered the British transfer record this summer by landing Alexander Isak from Newcastle for £125m.
Back then, manager Claudio Ranieri had initially denied interest in Veron, but later admitted he felt he could get more out of the Argentine. Veron made 14 appearances for the Blues, only scoring one goal, before spending subsequent seasons out on loan. His time at Stamford Bridge followed a spell at Manchester United, where he had already lifted the Premier League title.
Now, he finds himself suspended from “all football-related activities” for six months. Meanwhile, the Estudiantes players who “engaged in the reprehensible conduct” have each received two-match bans, with captain Santiago Nunez stripped of the armband for three months.
The suspensions for the squad will be applied in the next competition and staggered to ensure they “don’t affect the integrity of the current tournament.”
It means they remain available for Saturday’s Clausura quarter-final against Central Cordoba. The entire row stems from the AFA’s choice to overhaul their qualification format. Previously, the squad with the most points across the season earned a Copa Libertadores place.
This year, however, the title was awarded to Rosario based on combined totals across the Apertura and Clausura phases, with their 66-point tally edging Boca Juniors by four.
Ironically, despite being crowned champions, Rosario’s term ended with their 1-0 defeat against Estudiantes. Their opponents, meanwhile, march on into the latter stages of the Clausura competition.
Whoever wins the Clausura will face Apertura champions Platense in the Champions Trophy, the match that used to determine Argentina’s overall champion.
In a statement, Estudiantes said they are “analysing the sanction received in detail, in order to take the appropriate measures to defend the interests of the institution and its members. In this context, the board of directors expresses its full support for its president Juan Sebastian Veron, Santiago Nunez and the entire professional squad.”
