CHILE · WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Key Facts
- The country Chile’s professional clubs answer to one body, the ANFP, the national football association.
- What happened On Tuesday 27 October the ANFP tribunal voted 6-1 to expel second-division club San Marcos de Arica.
- The clock The club has five business days to appeal once the written sentence reaches it.
- Who decides The tribunal’s second chamber can confirm, cancel or change the sanction, even making it harsher.
- What it means for you No direct US stake; it shows how one league court can reshape a title race.
- Power Index Chile ranks 3rd of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 63.6 points (October 2026 edition).
The San Marcos de Arica appeal is the next step for a Chilean club that its own league’s tribunal expelled on Tuesday 27 October 2026. The expulsion is not final, because a higher chamber of the same tribunal can still overturn it.
San Marcos de Arica, based in the northern port city of Arica, plays in Primera B, Chile’s second division. Our explainer on the expulsion and our report on the verdict cover what led to it.
What the Tribunal Decided
The ANFP’s disciplinary tribunal voted six to one on 27 October to disaffiliate San Marcos de Arica, which removes the club from the association. The complaint came from the ANFP’s own board, and Rangers de Talca, Unión San Felipe and Santa Cruz joined it as supporting parties.
One judge in the majority added a note asking that every San Marcos match count as a 3-0 defeat. The single dissenting judge wanted the case sent to the Council of Club Presidents, the clubs’ own assembly, for a vote.
The tribunal has not yet published its reasons. Its statement says the full written sentence will be served soon, and that moment starts the appeal clock.
How the San Marcos de Arica Appeal Works
Under the ANFP’s Code of Procedure and Penalties, a ruling on a complaint against a club can always be appealed. The appeal goes to the first chamber in writing, with concrete requests, within five days of the sentence being served.
The code counts only business days, so Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays do not count. If the sentence is served on Friday 30 October, as the club expects, the San Marcos de Arica appeal is due about Friday 6 November.
In a statement the club called the verdict not final and promised to use every legal instrument available. Nothing in the code lets the club skip the written sentence, so the date of service decides the date of the deadline.
Who Decides Next and What Can Change
The second chamber can confirm the sanction, cancel it or change it, either to lower it or to raise it. Without a stay, it hears the San Marcos de Arica appeal at its next session, within five days of declaring it admissible.
An appeal does not suspend the sanction by itself. The club must ask for a stay, called an order of no innovation, together with the appeal, and the chamber must answer within two days.
The same chamber moves fast: on 22 October, three days after a hearing, it declared inadmissible an appeal by the three supporting clubs. A supporting party cannot challenge a sentence alone, it ruled, when the ANFP board that filed the complaint did not appeal.
Three Ways the Appeal Could End
In the San Marcos de Arica appeal, the chamber could confirm the expulsion, leaving the club out unless an outside court intervenes. It could also cancel the sanction, which would restore the club’s place.
The third path is a middle sentence, and the code allows it in both directions. The chamber could, for example, replace disaffiliation with a lighter penalty, or even adopt the dissenting judge’s route of a vote by the clubs.
The clock starts only when the sentence is served, so a ruling on the San Marcos de Arica appeal likely comes after the final round. That is why the table question matters so much.
What Could Happen to the Table
The published verdict orders no recalculation of results. The note of one judge points to article 87 of the 2026 Primera B rules, whose title covers relegation for sanctions, disaffiliation or expulsion.
The text of article 87 speaks of a club sanctioned with loss of its category and counts all of that club’s matches as 3-0 defeats. The ANFP has not said how it applies to a disaffiliated club, and published tables for Cobreloa and San Luis differ.
The final round is scheduled from 30 October to 1 November. Cobreloa plays Puerto Montt, San Luis visits San Marcos, and one club is relegated directly to the third tier.
The Puerto Montt Ruling
The tribunal also decided on Tuesday a complaint against Deportes Puerto Montt, filed by Curicó Unido, Rangers de Talca, Santa Cruz and Unión San Felipe. It voted six to one to accept the club’s objection that the complainants lacked standing, so the complaint was rejected.
The single dissenting judge would have rejected the objection and ruled on the substance. The written sentence starts the same five-day appeal clock for the four complaining clubs.
What It Means for US Readers
For US readers the case has no direct legal or market link, because no US club or investor appears in the rulings. US leagues have no relegation, so a league court deciding a title race one round before the end is a rare sight there.
Anyone following the final round should treat any recalculated table as provisional until the San Marcos de Arica appeal is decided. Our guide to Chile’s Primera B disaffiliation rules explains the rulebook behind the case.
What Is Not Known
It is not known on which day the written sentence will be served, so the exact appeal deadline is not yet fixed. It is also not known whether the club will file its San Marcos de Arica appeal at once or ask for a stay.
The tribunal has not said which rule its majority applied, or whether the sentence orders the 3-0 treatment. The fate of the club’s players and contracts has not been stated, and the ANFP board has not said whether it will appeal.
More: Chile news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can San Marcos de Arica still appeal?
Yes, a San Marcos de Arica appeal is possible. It must be filed within five business days of being served the written sentence.
Who decides the San Marcos de Arica appeal?
The second chamber of the ANFP disciplinary tribunal decides the appeal. It can confirm, cancel or change the sanction, and it can raise it as well as lower it.
Does the appeal suspend the expulsion?
No, not by itself. The club can ask for a stay called an order of no innovation, which the second chamber must answer within two days.
Does the ruling change the Primera B table?
That is not settled. The verdict orders no recalculation, but one judge’s note asks for 3-0 defeats under article 87, and published tables differ.
What happened to the Puerto Montt complaint?
The tribunal rejected it 6-1 on Tuesday 27 October because the four complaining clubs lacked standing. Those clubs can appeal once the written sentence is served.
Sources: ANFP, First Chamber verdict on San Marcos de Arica, 27 October 2026, 27 October 2026; ANFP, First Chamber verdict on Deportes Puerto Montt, 27 October 2026, 27 October 2026; ANFP, Second Chamber resolution on supporting-party appeal, 22 October 2026, 22 October 2026; ANFP, Code of Procedure and Penalties (articles 2, 47, 50, 51, 52), 2026; ANFP, Primera B championship rules 2026 (articles 86 and 87), 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief