Marked for Isaac Ramírez
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match3 Jul 2027
9 matches without a win for Zamora
The run now stands at 9, and the questions being asked around Zamora are no longer polite ones.
Match5 Jul 2027
Zamora sink to position 12
20 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Squad5 Jul 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market5 Jul 2027
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Zamora people have started saying his name in the past tense.
Market5 Jul 2027
Carlos Lujano hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zamora can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout5 Jul 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Zamora may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Market5 Jul 2027
Zamora say no — this time
The offer from Trujillanos for José Barragán was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Market5 Jul 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zamora is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad5 Jul 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zamora this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market7 Jun 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Zamora, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match7 Jun 2027
Zamora are in real trouble now
Position 12, 19 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Market7 Jun 2027
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Zamora have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Market7 Jun 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad7 Jun 2027
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
The dugout7 Jun 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Zamora may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Match5 Jun 2027
5 matches without a win for Zamora
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Zamora are no longer polite ones.
Market7 Jun 2027
Only the photograph left for Isaac Ramírez
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Isaac Ramírez will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Zamora the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad7 Jun 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zamora this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Player ratings10 May 2027
Two goals and a mark of 8.53 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.
Squad10 May 2027
There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
The dugout10 May 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Market10 May 2027
Only the photograph left for Isaac Ramírez
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Isaac Ramírez will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Zamora the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Match8 May 2027
Beaten 2‑4, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad10 May 2027
A row about effort at Zamora
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Anthonys Matos was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout10 May 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Anthony Uribe, and the manager let it.
In brief
-
Player ratings
Jean Paúl Madera was on a different afternoon to everybody else
-
The dugout
César Urpín back under a manager who knows him
-
Squad
A falling-out at Zamora
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match10 Apr 2027
4‑1, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
2 goals, and the second was the one that settled it. Marked 8.13, and he could have had a third with better luck at the near post.
Market12 Apr 2027
Isaac Ramírez has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Zamora they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad12 Apr 2027
A falling-out at Zamora
Edwuin Pernía and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Words at Zamora training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Anthonys Matos is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout12 Apr 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad12 Apr 2027
200 games in this shirt, through managers and relegations and everything else. Service like it is disappearing from the game and the crowd knows what it is watching.
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.18, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
The dugout12 Apr 2027
The view from the dugout
“We controlled it. There were spells I did not like and we will look at them, but the group showed me something.” Oscar Moreno, on a 4‑1 win that he was already picking apart on the walk to the press room.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match15 Mar 2027
Zamora are in real trouble now
Position 12, 5 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Market15 Mar 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zamora is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad15 Mar 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Zamora this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match13 Mar 2027
No clean sheets in sight for Zamora
5 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.
Match13 Mar 2027
A bad afternoon for Zamora against Monagas
0‑2 to Monagas, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Words at Zamora training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Cristian Díaz is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
The manager makes an example of Kevin Díaz
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑2, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
The dugout15 Mar 2027
Stiven Valencia is still being punished for one mistake
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match13 Feb 2027
The wait goes on for Zamora
5 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market15 Feb 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zamora is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad15 Feb 2027
A falling-out at Zamora
Edwuin Pernía and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Words at Zamora training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Anthonys Matos is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Squad15 Feb 2027
200 games in this shirt, through managers and relegations and everything else. Service like it is disappearing from the game and the crowd knows what it is watching.
Player ratings15 Feb 2027
Successful dribbles: 18. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Match13 Feb 2027
Late, late show earns Zamora a point
Minute 92, against Deportivo La Guaira, and a goal that felt like a win to everybody who had stayed. It was a draw. Nobody leaving the ground will describe it as one.
The dugout15 Feb 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Raudy Guerrero, and the manager let it.
Match13 Feb 2027
A 2‑2 draw with Deportivo La Guaira leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market18 Jan 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zamora is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad18 Jan 2027
A falling-out at Zamora
Edwuin Pernía and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Market18 Jan 2027
As if he never left: César Urpín returns
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. César Urpín is a Zamora player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Transfer targets18 Jan 2027
Zamora asked and Atletico Nacional said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad18 Jan 2027
A row about effort at Zamora
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Anthonys Matos was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout18 Jan 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout18 Jan 2027
José Sequera has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Zamora will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
The dugout18 Jan 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zamora, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The dugout18 Jan 2027
The manager makes Anthony Uribe a promise
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Zamora. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market21 Dec 2026
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Atlético El Vigía waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Zamora is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Market21 Dec 2026
Zamora say no — this time
The offer from Atlético El Vigía for Jean Paúl Madera was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Market21 Dec 2026
Isaac Ramírez has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Zamora they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad21 Dec 2026
A falling-out at Zamora
Edwuin Pernía and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Market21 Dec 2026
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Zamora have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Words at Zamora training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Sergio Sulbarán is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout21 Dec 2026
The manager makes an example of Raudy Guerrero
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Transfer targets21 Dec 2026
Bragantino have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
Transfer targets21 Dec 2026
A loan move for Valente Pierani is in the works
Zamora have made the call to Estudiantes. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market7 Dec 2026
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Zamora people have started saying his name in the past tense.
Transfer targets7 Dec 2026
Everything agreed with Atletico Nacional, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Words at Zamora training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Anthonys Matos is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Squad7 Dec 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Antony Trujillo commits to Zamora for another 4 years.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Words exchanged at Zamora
Antony Trujillo and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The dugout7 Dec 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to César Urpín, and the manager let it.
Transfer targets7 Dec 2026
Zamora have made the call to Estudiantes. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
Market7 Dec 2026
Dynamo Puerto are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Zamora will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Carlos Lujano slips down the pecking order
The demotion a club never announces and a dressing room always notices. Carlos Lujano is further from the side than he was, and the reason will not be given until he asks.
In brief
-
Market
The shop window has Richard Celis in it
-
The dugout
Cristian Díaz has become a man the manager trusts
-
Boardroom
Open for business: Zamora enter the window
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad17 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Zamora
Edwuin Pernía was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Boardroom17 Aug 2026
The paperwork is done long before the player is. Guillermo Marín has agreed terms to come here when his current deal runs out, which means Zamora have spent a summer's transfer budget on a phone call.
Market17 Aug 2026
The phone has started ringing about Beycker Velásquez again, and this time the name on the line is Kazincbarcika. Zamora are listening politely and promising nothing.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Too much change too quickly at Zamora
21 signings in three months. Every one of them may be an upgrade and the team can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild that never appears in the transfer-window verdicts.
Squad17 Aug 2026
The system has changed and his position has not. A footballer can improve his form; he cannot improve the manager’s formation, and that is the whole of the problem.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Isaac Ramírez falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.