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Estudiantes reject newly crowned Rosario Central with on-pitch protest

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Estudiantes reject newly crowned Rosario Central with on-pitch protest
Photo: @TyCSports
Argentine football descended into chaos this week after Estudiantes de La Plata players staged a dramatic on-pitch protest, turning their backs on newly crowned "League Champions" Rosario Central during the traditional pasillo ceremony.

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) announced - just days before the end of the season - that Central would be recognised as "League Champions" for accumulating the most combined points across the Apertura and Clausura tournaments.

The declaration effectively created a new title that had never previously existed, blindsiding players, clubs, and fans across the country.

A Forced Honour, A Public Rejection

Ahead of Sunday's Clausura round-of-16 match, the AFA instructed Estudiantes to give Central the customary champions' guard of honour.

However, as Ángel Di María led his team-mates onto the pitch, Estudiantes players executed a coordinated protest by turning their backs on the champions and refusing to applaud.

The striking visual, instantly viral across social media and stadiums nationwide, became a symbol of widespread frustration with the AFA's poorly received decision.

Experts Criticise AFA's Sudden Title Creation

Football historian Oscar Barnade, speaking to AIRE, described the episode as yet another example of the AFA's long-standing institutional problems.
It's another embarrassment, but with a contemporary visibility that makes it even more obvious.

Central were given an official title without playing anything for it. There was no tournament, no fixture, no competition. It's purely an administrative decision.
He explained that the Estudiantes protest resonated across Argentina because it captured a broader sentiment: anger over improvised rule-changes, shifting regulations and competitions invented without sporting merit.

Barnade also noted that the Estudiantes board, led by club icon Juan Sebastián Verón, fully backed the players' actions, and much of the public was waiting for someone to push back.

Historical Parallels: AFA Controversies Are Nothing New

The historian highlighted several past incidents where the AFA altered competitions on the fly, including:
  • 2012 season - sudden changes to the Inicial and Final tournaments, resulting in the bizarre outcome of three official champions.
  • Arsenal de Sarandí's Copa Sudamericana final, where tiebreak rules were adjusted just days before the decisive match.
But unlike previous cases, Barnade argued, the new Central title had no competitive foundation whatsoever.

A Protest That Joins Football Folklore

Acts of on-field rebellion in Argentina are extremely rare.

Barnade compared the Estudiantes gesture to:
  • Gimnasia players sitting on the grass in 1933 over perceived bias
  • San Lorenzo's symbolic non-resistance in a 9-1 defeat against Independiente in 1963
  • Juan Román Riquelme's iconic Topo Gigio gesture aimed at Boca Juniors President Mauricio Macri
Internationally, he likened it to Espanyol fans famously turning their backs on Barcelona, but stressed that Estudiantes' act was unique because it occurred between competing teams during a major institutional crisis.

A Gesture That Will Be Remembered

With backing from their board and the admiration of rival fans, Barnade believed Estudiantes' collective gesture has already entered the folklore of Argentine football.
It's an embarrassment like many others. But the response from Estudiantes turns it into an event that will be remembered.
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