Orlando Gill Provisionally Suspended for Headbutting Blondel in San Lorenzo-Huracan Derby

A headbutt thrown in the middle of a rival's celebration can come at a steep price. Orlando Gill was provisionally suspended by the AFA's Disciplinary Tribunal following his ejection in the derby between San Lorenzo and Huracan, played Sunday at the Nuevo Gasometro.

The sequence is already well known to every Ciclon fan: after Huracan's second goal, the Paraguayan goalkeeper lost his cool and headbutted Lucas Blondel. The referee did not hesitate, showing him a straight red card and leaving San Lorenzo down to ten men and without their starting goalkeeper in the middle of the match.

Now the disciplinary body has taken the first formal step in the case. As laid out in Bulletin 6934 from the Disciplinary Tribunal, the same document that confirmed the sanction against Maravilla Martinez, the ruling on Gill was clear: "SAN LORENZO DE ALMAGRO v. HURACAN 1st Division 08/09/2026 CASE FILE 99607: Player Orlando Daniel Gill Noldin, of Club San Lorenzo de Almagro, is provisionally suspended and authorized to submit a written defense within the regulatory deadline. Articles 47 and 48 of the Disciplinary Code."

What Does This Provisional Suspension Mean?

Keep in mind this is not yet the final sanction. The Tribunal did not set a specific number of games for the suspension. For now, what it did was preventively sideline the goalkeeper while it studies the case in depth. It's a precautionary measure, not a closed punishment.

Article 47 of the Disciplinary Code allows for exactly that: applying a provisional suspension while an infraction is under investigation. Article 48, meanwhile, gives Gill the right to defend himself: he can submit a written statement within the deadline set by the Tribunal. Only after reviewing that defense and completing its analysis of the case file will the body determine how many games the Paraguayan goalkeeper will miss.

Gorosito's Goalkeeper Dilemma

Nestor Gorosito has a concrete problem to solve before the next match while the case is being resolved: San Lorenzo hosts Union on Saturday, August 15, and needs a goalkeeper. The most obvious option is Jose Devecchi, who already had to come on in an emergency after Gill's ejection in the derby and held down the net for the remaining minutes of the match.

It remains to be seen whether the coach decides to give Devecchi continuity as the starter or tries another option in this week's training sessions. What is clear is that Gill will not be available, at least until the Tribunal rules on the final sanction, and that San Lorenzo has already begun keeping a close eye on how this case unfolds.