Former Manchester United midfielder, Juan Sebastian Veron, has been banned from all football activities for six months after ordering his players to refuse a guard of honour in Argentina.
Felix Keith and Will Jenkins
16:30, 28 Nov 2025
Juan Sebastian Veron’s arrival was once a British transfer record. (Image: PA)
Juan Sebastian Veron has been slapped with a six-month ban from all football-related activities following a major controversy in Argentine football. Veron serves as club president for Estudiantes, who declined to provide a guard of honour to Rosario Central after they were contentiously crowned champions.
The Argentina Football Association (AFA) opted to alter the regulations mid-campaign, which favoured Rosario in securing their first title since 1987. The modification triggered enormous outrage across Argentina, with competing clubs incensed that the parameters had been shifted.
Ex-Manchester United and Chelsea midfielder Veron reportedly instructed the Estudiantes squad to demonstrate against the ruling.
Estudiantes declined to offer a guard of honour prior to their recent fixture, with the players turning away as their opponents entered the pitch.
The occurred before a last-16 knockout encounter on Sunday, which Estudiantes secured 1-0. The gesture created significant controversy in Argentine football and has, subsequently, resulted in sanctions for Veron and his players.
The AFA’s disciplinary panel determined that the 50-year-old – who won 72 caps for his country – was accountable for fostering “an attitude of open disapproval” which represented “a form of symbolic violence and an affront to the values of respect and sportsmanship.”
In 2001, United signed Veron for £28.1million, which was a British transfer record fee at the time. Over two decades later, Liverpool smashed that ever-developing record when they signed Alexander Isak, for an eye-watering £125m.
At the turn of the century, Sir Aex Ferguson had admitted that he “never though the day would arrive” that he would have “spent this much money on one player.” Veron went on to play 51 games for United – scoring seven goals – while he won the Premier League in 2003.
Now, he has been handed “a six-month suspension from all football-related activities”, while the players who “engaged in the reprehensible conduct” have each been banned for two matches, with club captain Santiago Nunez also stripped of the armband for three months.
Estudiantes’ players will serve their bans in the next tournament and at staggered intervals so it “does not affect the integrity of the current competition.”
It means they remain eligible for the Clausura quarter-final clash against Central Cordoba on Saturday. The anger originated from the AFA’s decision to shake things up. Previously, the side with the most points simply secured a Copa Libertadores berth.
However, this time, Rosario were crowned as champions after amassing a combined 66 points across the Apertura (opening) and Clausura (closing), the two competitions that makeup the Primera Division. That tally was four points superior to runners-up Boca Juniors.
Remarkably, it means that, despite lifting the title, Rosario’s campaign has concluded following their 1-0 defeat to Estudiantes. The season continues, however, with Estudiantes progressing in the Clausura knockout rounds.
Whatever team triumphs in the Clausura will meet Apertura winners Platense in the end-of-season Champions Trophy, which formerly determined Argentina’s champions.
A statement from Estudiantes read: “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.”