They investigate 16 Colombian clubs for preventing transfers of footballers

The Superintendency of Industry and Commerce (SIC) announced this Monday that it is investigating the Major Division of Colombian Soccer (Dimayor) and 16 clubs that allegedly committed “anti-competitive acts” and prevented the transfers of at least 16 players between 2018 and 2021.

The agency, as detailed in a statement, filed charges against 20 people linked to Dimayor and the teams, including Once Caldas de Manizales, champion of the 2004 Copa Libertadores, and Deportes Tolima, current league champion. Colombian.

The other teams involved are Águilas Doradas, Boyacá Chicó, Unión Magdalena, Deportivo Pasto, Envigado, Tigres, Deportes Quindío, La Equidad, Atlético Fútbol Club, Fortaleza, Leones, Real Santander, Alianza Petrolera and Cúcuta Deportivo, a team that is in liquidation and He is currently not affiliated with Dimayor.

The investigation seeks to determine whether the defendants “would have limited free competition in the market for the sports rights of Colombian soccer players by preventing the transaction of at least 16 players.”

The case

The case was opened after the Colombian Association of Professional Footballers (Acolfutpro) filed a complaint because allegedly 10 of the investigated clubs sent communications to other teams to “prevent the transaction of sports rights” of the players.

In its investigation, the SIC identified “communications issued by the investigated clubs in which their approval is expressed against a list of banned players with whom the negotiation of their sports rights is restricted in what would constitute an anticompetitive agreement between the clubs for the acquisition of these rights “.

Meanwhile, Dimayor, as organizer and rector of professional soccer tournaments in Colombia, “would have had knowledge of the existence and content of lists of banned players” and, despite this, “maintained a passive position allowing de facto sanctions” on the footballers involved.

Acolfutpro position

For the Association, the SIC’s decision implies that this authority “reached the conclusion that there are elements of judgment that restrictive commercial practices of competition are carried out in the Colombian soccer market.”

For this reason, said Acolfutpro, professional players will be part of this investigation “to enforce the rights” that they say were violated by the directors of Colombian football. (D)