Former Manchester United and Chelsea ace Juan Sebastian Veron has been handed a six-month ban from football after Argentine club Estudiantes de La Plata was punished for a controversial guard of honour. No longer playing, the 50-year-old is chairman of the club, following a stint as their Director of Football.
Veron arrived in the Premier League in 2001 with great expectations after dominating Serie A, then considered the best league in the world. But inconsistency and his struggle to adapt to the pace of English football saw him become one of Man United's most disappointing signings. Then, at Chelsea, injuries prevented him from ever making a sustained impact.
He will forever be a “what if” story for those two sides, but a legend to the rest of football, with his 72 Argentina caps being proof of his quality. Still very much part of the football fabric in his home nation, he has re-emerged, but this time for all the wrong reasons.
Juan Sebastian Veron Handed Six-Month Ban For Guard of Honour
Ferguson and Veron
Veron and Estudiantes de La Plata's entire starting lineup were handed suspensions by Argentina's FA on Thursday after refusing to form a guard of honour for Rosario Central, who were declared league champions following a rule change. Rosario won the new title by finishing the regular season of the Apertura and Clausura tournaments with a combined 66 points.
Estudiantes’ players turned their backs on Rosario’s squad as they walked onto the pitch for Sunday’s Clausura last-16 match, protesting their opponents being crowned champions - a title not outlined in the competition’s original rules. Watch the incident below:
Under previous regulations, the team with the highest annual points earned only a Copa Libertadores berth, while the Apertura champions, Platense, are set to face the Clausura champions - still to be decided next month - in the end-of-year Champions Trophy.
Argentine FA Release Statement
Argentina flag
The retired midfielder was given “a six-month suspension from all football-related activities,” according to the AFA Disciplinary Tribunal’s statement, as reported by Reuters. Meanwhile, club captain Santiago Nunez has been handed a three-month ban.
The players who “engaged in the reprehensible conduct” were suspended for two matches, the statement added. Those sanctions will be served in the next tournament, allowing them to feature in Saturday’s Clausura quarter-final against Central Cordoba, while the AFA also stated that the players will not all serve their bans in the same matches so that the measure "does not affect the integrity of the current competition".