CONMEBOL Summons Santiago Arias Over Bribery Accusation Against Montevideo City Torque

A serious accusation, an apology video, and now an official summons. The case involving Santiago Arias keeps adding chapters after Cienciano's elimination from the Copa Sudamericana, and this time it's CONMEBOL itself stepping into the picture.

The Disciplinary Unit of the South American Football Confederation opened a preliminary investigation and decided to summon the Uruguayan midfielder to testify about the comments he made right after his team's elimination. So what exactly did Arias say to get to this point? He claimed that the president of Montevideo City Torque had offered money to Cienciano's players to get themselves sent off during the match, and he even said he could specify the exact amount of that alleged offer.

CONMEBOL did not let the comment slide. In the statement sent to Arias, the organization explained why it needs to hear from him formally:

Given the nature and significance of these statements, it is considered necessary to obtain his testimony in order to clarify their scope, understand the facts on which they are based, and identify any additional information or evidence that may be relevant to clarifying the circumstances under investigation in this preliminary inquiry.CONMEBOL

Arias Walks It Back

One day after making those statements, the player himself did a complete about face. He posted a video on his social media to publicly retract everything he had said, both verbally and in writing.

I acknowledge that this statement lacks any basis or factual support. That it did not reflect the reality of what happened and that I should not have made it. I am withdrawing, in full, any statement made by me verbally, in writing, through media outlets, or on social media.Santiago Arias

In that same message, Arias also apologized to Montevideo City Torque for the seriousness of his words, acknowledging the impact they could have on the Uruguayan club.

But the retraction does not close the matter for CONMEBOL. The organization wants to dig deeper: to understand where the accusation came from, what evidence backed it up, if any, and whether there is additional information that could help clarify what happened. This is no small procedural step given how serious the allegation is, an alleged offer of money to induce red cards.

The hearing already has a date: Arias must appear on Wednesday, September 30, starting at 9:00 a.m. (Peru time), in a session that will be held via videoconference through Zoom. There, he will have to answer, face to face with the Disciplinary Unit, everything left hanging after his statements and subsequent retraction.