The tension between Estudiantes de La Plata and Rosario Central, two traditional teams in Argentine football, erupted before the ball even started rolling. The request from the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and the Professional League (LPF) forced the team chaired by former footballer Juan Sebastian Veron to give Rosario Central the traditional guard of honor, having recently been declared the league champion for accumulating the most points during the season. From that moment on, everything was shrouded in controversy.

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The La Plata club responds immediately. Through its social media, it posted: “No vote was held regarding the recognition of the 2025 League Champion title,” directly contradicting the official version of the LPF, which claimed that the designation had been “unanimously approved” and that it was recorded in the minutes. The vice president of Estudiantes, Pascual Caiella, participated in that meeting.

The guard of honor, the image that went around the world

Despite the unease and criticism of the institutional decision, Estudiantes ended up forming the guard of honor. They did so, but with a twist: all the players turned their backs on the Rosario Central squad. This gesture, promoted by Veron after a talk with the team leaders, was confirmed on the official broadcast by local reporter Federico Bueno. As he explained, the club “released its players,” but the president suggested the posture with their backs turned and arms crossed.

The response from the home crowd was immediate. From all four sides of the Gigante de Arroyito stadium, a chant directed at Veron descended: “He who doesn't jump is an Englishman,” a reference to 'La Brujita's' controversial participation in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. The atmosphere was already heated before the game even started. The underlying reason for this whole situation stems from a decision made while the tournament was underway,The rule stipulated that the team with the most points in the overall standings would be recognized as the annual champion. This allowed Central to add another star to their trophy cabinet, although the regulations do not consider the guard of honor a ceremonial or disciplinary obligation. Historically, it was a voluntary act. Angel Di Maria, World Cup champion and star player for Rosario Central, celebrated the achievement on his social media with a clear message: "Glory is priceless. League champion 2025. Go Central!" After the match, he also commented on Estudiantes' protest: "It's their problem, they did the guard of honor anyway, one of the guys told me it was going to be like that. We entered the way we were supposed to and that's how it stayed." He then added: "It's not our fault. We feel like champions, I said so after the Instituto match." On the field, Estudiantes took the victory 1-0 and advanced to the quarterfinals, where they will face Central Cordoba. Central, for their part, regretted the missed opportunities. Di Maria summed it up honestly: “We played a very good game, we had chances, we knew who we were up against… We tried everything, but it didn't happen.”