Javier Correa Banned Two Games for Obscene Gestures in the Superclasico

Two games. That was the punishment handed down by the ANFP's Disciplinary Tribunal to Javier Correa for the obscene gestures he made after scoring and winning the Superclasico against Universidad de Chile at the Estadio Nacional. The sanction did not sit well at Colo Colo, not in the locker room and not in the front office.

The first to back the Argentine forward was Alvaro Madrid. The midfielder from Valparaiso didn't dodge the topic at his press conference, though he also stopped short of judging what his teammate did. "As far as the football goes, we know what kind of player he is and what kind of person he is. He's important for us, and beyond that I'm not going to judge him for a gesture. We all know what he did, but I know what kind of person he is and what he means to us," he explained.

With Correa sidelined for two matches, the team will have to find goals elsewhere. Madrid didn't seem worried about that. "Obviously he's important for us, but we have another goal scorer on the team, so whoever plays will do a good job. We're a fantastic group, and whoever replaces him is going to do it very well," he said, already looking ahead to this weekend's match against Huachipato, a rival coming in with confidence after winning its last outing.

On that matchup, the midfielder was direct: "We're in good shape for the game. We know we're facing a team that just won, and that gives them confidence. Every match is tough for us, especially given the field we'll be playing on." And even though Colo Colo holds a wide lead in the Liga de Primera, Madrid warned against letting up: "We know we're in first place by that margin, but the goal hasn't been achieved yet. Until it is, we're not going to stop giving our best or stop hungering for wins."

Mosa's frustration with the Disciplinary Tribunal

The one who held nothing back was Blanco y Negro president Anibal Mosa, who unloaded on the disciplinary body this Wednesday. For the club executive, the sanction against Correa is a story every Chilean fan has already seen before.

I think every soccer fan and every Chilean already saw this movie back in 2024. The same actors, the same characters, the same script.Anibal Mosa

Mosa went further, pointing to the real issue being how these episodes get resolved off the field. "Unfortunately they take something that happens off the field and turn it into something it shouldn't be, because they don't have other options. So it's regrettable. We're stuck between the toads and a feudal king," he added, in a tone that made his anger clear. He even closed by asking reporters for restraint: "Don't make me say more or I might end up in front of the tribunal myself."

The response from the blue side

On the other side, at Universidad de Chile, the topic was treated with more distance. Fullback Fabian Hormazabal was brief but direct when asked about Correa's punishment: "I'm not really up to date on that, but I think every action has its consequence, that's the only thing I can tell you."

The defender also reviewed the current state of the U, which has been hit by two straight losses after a positive run of several matches. "There are a lot of factors that can come into play during a game. I think we had been doing well. Two weeks ago we had put together a run of five or six matches where the team felt good. And then these things happen, these different circumstances that can occur and can keep happening," he said. Even so, he insisted the group's motivation remains intact heading into what's next: "We're a bit banged up after the two losses, they hurt quite a bit. But we're eager to work, to fix things and to play this weekend."

Hormazabal also addressed the departure of midfielder Lucas Assadi, transferred to Sweden's AIK, and was honest about what it means to lose a player of that caliber: "We know that Lucas's talent will be hard to find in Chilean soccer. Hopefully someone like him comes up through the youth ranks, but it will be tough to replace him with someone of similar ability and talent."