San Marcos de Arica Avoids Disaffiliation, Gets 2,000 UF Fine
San Marcos de Arica avoided disaffiliation on Wednesday after the Second Chamber of the ANFP Disciplinary Tribunal revoked a lower ruling and instead imposed a fine of 2,000 Unidades de Fomento.
After a long and tense wait, the verdicts of the Primera B administrative disputes involving San Marcos de Arica and Deportes Puerto Montt were announced on Wednesday night.
The penalty stems from financial declarations submitted for quarterly closes in September 2024 as well as March, June, and September 2025.
San Marcos appealed the sentence alongside the ANFP board and rival clubs Rangers de Talca, Santa Cruz, and San Felipe.
Although the tribunal cleared the club of deliberate falsification, it found the institution repeatedly breached statutory obligations. The resulting 2,000 UF fine equates to roughly 83 million pesos. The Second Chamber was integrated by its president Ernesto Vásquez, members Jorge Ogalde, Claudio Guerra, Bruno Romo, and Mauricio Olave, alongside attorney secretary Bruno Romo Muñoz.
The ruling clears the way for San Marcos to participate in the upcoming Ascenso promotion playoffs. Had the initial disaffiliation stood, the league table would have faced severe disruption through walkover victories for opposing sides.
Prior to the ruling, Fernando Zapata outlined the club’s defensive posture regarding the initial penalty. “Si la Segunda Sala de la ANFP no corrige esta injusticia, se acudirá de inmediato al Tribunal de Arbitraje Deportivo,” Fernando Zapata told Cooperativa.
Fernando Zapata, general manager of San Marcos de Arica, warned that the institution will reach out to the final judicial instances to reverse the disaffiliation and confirmed that they will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if the second-instance body upholds the punishment.
In a separate decision concerning Deportes Puerto Montt, the tribunal unanimously confirmed a previous October 27 sentence upholding the southern club’s objection regarding active legitimacy.
The hearing on November 11 was also attended by the Fondo del Deporte Profesional Club de Deportes Puerto Montt, represented by Diego Iturriaga and Javier Gasman, together with the members of the Second Chamber. Prior to the verdict, travel arrangements for the squad remained fluid while administrative uncertainty lingered.
“Los pasajes ya están comprados. Pero no está confirmado que se juegue al 100%. Tenemos que esperar al día jueves. Tenemos todo organizado para viajar a Calama,” Pablo Soto told radio Mi Sur Deportes.
The sports manager of Deportes Puerto Montt also indicated that “ojalá se pueda jugar” and added that “hay mucha incertidumbre” due to players having domestic issues such as returning their apartments or houses, noting that it would complicate matters if the match is rescheduled.
With both tribunal cases resolved, the final weekend of the Liga de Ascenso is scheduled to proceed, allowing the championship and relegation battles to be decided on the pitch.
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