Palestino se enfrenta al Sifup por votación de extranjeros en la Primera División

Palestino issued a statement this Thursday explaining their vote for the sixth foreign player in the First Division for 2024, an explanation that received a strong response from the Professional Footballers Union (Sifup).

In the letter, signed by the president of the club Jorge Uauyit is mentioned that “for many years, I have advocated in the Council for the inclusion of players who have contributed to the development of Chilean footballeither after several seasons in the country or meeting the naturalization requirements, even before officially obtaining naturalization, this was the goal of my initial intervention.”

“The reality of leagues like the Ecuadorian, which allows up to 8 foreignersand their outstanding performance at the adult and youth national team level, well above Chile, shows that a greater number of foreign players does not necessarily harm national performance, but can enhance the competitiveness of the league,” it adds.

And more. In addition to reaffirming the commitment as a training club, the tetracolor institution points out that “70% of the leagues in South American countries already allow 6 or more foreigners. Also, by competing in international cups under this regulation, our teams face less disadvantages compared to other countries that have a greater number of foreigners.”

Finally, Uauy stated that the union led by Gamadiel García should not interfere in the internal affairs of the ANFP, a private corporation.

The Sifup’s response

The Sifup quickly picked up the gauntlet. They didn’t hesitate to share Palestino’s statement on social media and provide a brief, but firm, response.

“To avoid false news‼️ 1. They never invited us to discuss this measure,” began the union that represents professional football players in Chile.

Then, the union clarified that “2. Our First Division has 24.6% foreignersbeing the country with the most in South America” and “3. To date, only Ecuador and Brazil allow 6 or more foreigners on the field, far from 70%”.