San Marcos de Arica avoided a severe desafiliation penalty from the ANFP after the Primera Sala of the Tribunal de Disciplina rejected a fraud complaint. The tribunal imposed a 500 UF fine instead, citing an accounting and legal error rather than intentional document falsification.
The decision offers a major institutional respite for the Bravos del Morro as the Primera B season enters a critical stretch. The ANFP board had pushed for the club’s expulsion under article 10.1 letter g of the internal regulations, arguing that the northern squad submitted false or altered financial papers regarding their balances at the close of 2025 and figures reported to the Comisión para el Mercado Financiero (CMF).
Those disputed records showed a working capital of $82,261,000 standing against a net negative patrimony bordering on 3 billion pesos, specifically cited in audits as a negative net worth of $2,909,444,000. Yet, in a unanimous ruling, the tribunal’s seven members—comprising Exequiel Segall, Santiago Hurtado, Simón Marín, Carlos Aravena, Alejandro Musa, Jorge Isbej, and Franco Acchiardo—concluded that the discrepancy stemmed from an accounting and legal error rather than malicious tampering.
Court Fines San Marcos for Failing to Deliver Records
While the Primera Sala threw out the main accusation of document falsification, it upheld a subsidiary complaint from the association based on article 6.5 letter h of the internal regulations. The court determined that San Marcos failed to deliver timely records regarding the capitalization of debt held with its shareholder David Ramos Molina, which affected working capital reports submitted for March 31, 2026.
The resulting penalty requires the club to pay 500 Unidades de Fomento—roughly 20 million pesos—within 15 days of the sentence becoming executory. The ANFP retains the right to appeal the verdict to the Segunda Sala.
Tribunal Weighs Second ANFP Complaint
The relief for the northern club remains partial because a second denunciation filed by the ANFP on September 29, 2026, is still active. That fresh filing targets financial declarations for the quarters ending in September 2024, alongside March, June, and September 2025.
According to the association’s second brief, San Marcos reported positive working capital figures while audit reports showed deep negative patrimony. In September 2024, the club declared a positive capital near 988 million pesos against an audited negative patrimony of approximately 1.889 billion pesos. By September 2025, the club reported about 904 million pesos in positive capital, while its audited patrimony was negative by more than 2.909 billion pesos.
The Tribunal Autónomo de Disciplina has summoned San Marcos to appear on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, to address these ongoing allegations.
Rivals Push for Swift Resolution as Lower Table Teams Watch Closely
The protracted legal battles have immediate implications for the Ascenso standings, where San Marcos currently sits seventh. Clubs mired in the relegation battle—including Rangers, Deportes Santa Cruz, and Unión San Felipe—stand to benefit if a desafiliation goes through and alters the table.
Raúl Delgado voiced frustration over the pace of the proceedings, warning that delays threaten the upcoming promotion mini-tournaments (liguilla
). Delgado urged tribunal president Exequiel Segall to accelerate the process, noting that clubs participating in the liguilla will incur unnecessary expenses due to administrative slowdowns from the board and the Primera Sala.
Meanwhile, in the same resolution cycle, the disciplinary body deferred a separate complaint brought by Rangers, Deportes Santa Cruz, and Curicó Unido against Deportes Puerto Montt. That separate case involving the salmonero
club centers on tax-related allegations, including accusations that Puerto Montt withheld Single Tax deductions from employee salaries during a prior season without remitting those funds to the Servicio de Impuestos Internos.