From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market10 Sep 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad10 Sep 2029
Rafael Martinez: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Zulia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad10 Sep 2029
The manager makes an example of Luciano Agüero
“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.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad3 Sep 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Juan Ferraresi commits to Zulia for another 4 years.
Squad3 Sep 2029
The manager makes an example of Emmanuel Chacón
“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.
Squad3 Sep 2029
Khetag Kochiev knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad27 Aug 2029
Darwin Machis: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Zulia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad27 Aug 2029
“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.
Squad27 Aug 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Francisco Rondon and Zulia agree another 5 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market20 Aug 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zulia can pretend not to have heard.
Squad20 Aug 2029
A season average of 7.04 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Zulia know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Squad20 Aug 2029
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market13 Aug 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad13 Aug 2029
Ángelo Rivas gets it from the manager
“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.
Match11 Aug 2029
A 1-0 win over Metropolitanos, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad13 Aug 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Darwin Machis commits to Zulia for another 1 years.
Squad13 Aug 2029
A booking nobody needed, on a night the game was already won. Zulia lose a player for the most avoidable reason there is.
Squad13 Aug 2029
Every debut is a small story about the future: Santino Ortiz, 21 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match4 Aug 2029
6 matches without a win for Zulia
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Zulia are no longer polite ones.
Match4 Aug 2029
0-1 to Trujillanos, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad6 Aug 2029
The medical room confirms 20 days on the sidelines for Carlos Gonzalez, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad6 Aug 2029
“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.
Squad6 Aug 2029
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Eetu Vertainen keeps the shirt for now, at Zulia's convenience rather than his own.
Squad6 Aug 2029
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market30 Jul 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match28 Jul 2029
5 matches without a win for Zulia
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Zulia are no longer polite ones.
Squad30 Jul 2029
11 goals and a season average of 7.58. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Match28 Jul 2029
Zulia and Zamora take a point apiece
It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad30 Jul 2029
Rubén Rivas gets it from the manager
“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.
Squad30 Jul 2029
Eetu Vertainen asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market23 Jul 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zulia can pretend not to have heard.
Match21 Jul 2029
4 matches without a win for Zulia
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Zulia are no longer polite ones.
Market23 Jul 2029
The deal that would have taken Fernando Rincon to Portuguesa has collapsed at the last stage, and he reports back to Zulia with a summer to forget and a season still to play. Nobody is saying which side walked away.
Squad23 Jul 2029
A season average of 7.00 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Zulia know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Squad23 Jul 2029
The manager makes an example of Eetu Vertainen
“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.
Squad23 Jul 2029
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Zulia pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market16 Jul 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad16 Jul 2029
The manager makes an example of Richard Soteldo
“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.
Match14 Jul 2029
It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad16 Jul 2029
Khetag Kochiev asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad16 Jul 2029
A season average of 7.20 with 2 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Market16 Jul 2029
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zulia know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match7 Jul 2029
0-2 to Estudiantes de Caracas, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad9 Jul 2029
The medical room confirms 50 days on the sidelines for Carlos Gonzalez, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad9 Jul 2029
The medical room confirms 20 days on the sidelines for Salomon Gonzalez, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market2 Jul 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad2 Jul 2029
Lorenzo Russo is in the form of his life
A season average of 7.61 with 11 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Squad2 Jul 2029
The award goes to Yeferson Moreno, and nobody around here is inclined to argue with the choice.
Market2 Jul 2029
Portuguesa are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Zulia will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad2 Jul 2029
Ángelo Rivas asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Match30 Jun 2029
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Mineros de Guayana will be the happier side with the point.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market25 Jun 2029
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Zulia they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Match23 Jun 2029
Three points for Zulia, 1-0 the final word against Carabobo in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad25 Jun 2029
“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.
Squad25 Jun 2029
Ángelo Rivas knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market25 Jun 2029
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zulia know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Boardroom25 Jun 2029
Zulia answer back
A squad written off a fortnight ago has closed ranks. Whatever was said behind that door, it has held so far.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match16 Jun 2029
Portuguesa left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad18 Jun 2029
The manager makes an example of Richard Soteldo
“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.
Squad18 Jun 2029
2 goals and a season average of 7.21. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market11 Jun 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Zulia can pretend not to have heard.
Squad11 Jun 2029
The medical room confirms 78 days on the sidelines for Carlos Gonzalez, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Match9 Jun 2029
Zulia get the job done against Aragua
A 2-0 win over Aragua, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad11 Jun 2029
51 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad11 Jun 2029
The manager makes an example of Ángelo Rivas
“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.
Squad11 Jun 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Sergio Moreno commits to Zulia for another 4 years.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match2 Jun 2029
7 matches without a win for Zulia
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Zulia are no longer polite ones.
Market4 Jun 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad4 Jun 2029
11 goals and a season average of 7.54. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Squad4 Jun 2029
16 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad4 Jun 2029
“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.
Squad4 Jun 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Richard Casseres and Zulia agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match26 May 2029
No end in sight to Zulia's wait for a win
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zulia has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad28 May 2029
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.
Squad28 May 2029
“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.
Match26 May 2029
A 2-2 draw with Caracas leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad28 May 2029
Khetag Kochiev asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market28 May 2029
The name of Khetag Kochiev keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zulia say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match19 May 2029
No end in sight to Zulia's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zulia has to find a result from somewhere.
Match19 May 2029
Deportivo La Guaira left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad21 May 2029
Eetu Vertainen knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match12 May 2029
No end in sight to Zulia's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zulia has to find a result from somewhere.
Match12 May 2029
7 unbeaten for Zulia
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 7 matches without defeat is a foundation Zulia did not have in the autumn.
Squad14 May 2029
“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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad7 May 2029
Lorenzo Russo is in the form of his life
A season average of 7.58 with 11 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Squad7 May 2029
45 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Match5 May 2029
6 unbeaten for Zulia
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Zulia did not have in the autumn.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad30 Apr 2029
Lorenzo Russo is in the form of his life
A season average of 7.52 with 10 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Match28 Apr 2029
A 1-1 draw with Metropolitanos leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad30 Apr 2029
The manager makes an example of Blas Vicente
“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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad23 Apr 2029
The manager makes an example of Khetag Kochiev
“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.
Match21 Apr 2029
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Trujillanos will be the happier side with the point.
Market23 Apr 2029
The name of Lorenzo Russo keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zulia say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match14 Apr 2029
3-0, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.
Market16 Apr 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad16 Apr 2029
Lorenzo Russo is in the form of his life
A season average of 7.45 with 9 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad9 Apr 2029
Santino Ortiz: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Zulia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match7 Apr 2029
Three points for Zulia, 1-0 the final word against Llaneros in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad9 Apr 2029
Lorenzo Russo is in the form of his life
A season average of 7.36 with 7 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match31 Mar 2029
5 matches without a win for Zulia
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Zulia are no longer polite ones.
Squad2 Apr 2029
“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.
Squad2 Apr 2029
6 goals and a season average of 7.25. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Match31 Mar 2029
A 2-2 draw with Atletico Venezuela leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Market2 Apr 2029
The name of Khetag Kochiev keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zulia say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad2 Apr 2029
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match24 Mar 2029
4 matches without a win for Zulia
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Zulia are no longer polite ones.
Match24 Mar 2029
Beaten 0-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad26 Mar 2029
The manager makes an example of Ángelo Rivas
“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.
Squad26 Mar 2029
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
Squad26 Mar 2029
Eetu Vertainen knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market26 Mar 2029
The name of Lorenzo Russo keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zulia say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market19 Mar 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad19 Mar 2029
“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.
Match17 Mar 2029
1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad12 Mar 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Yeferson Moreno commits to Zulia for another 3 years.
Match10 Mar 2029
Carabobo left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad12 Mar 2029
“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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match3 Mar 2029
Portuguesa left with the points after a 1-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad5 Mar 2029
“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.
Squad5 Mar 2029
The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Zulia have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match21 Feb 2029
The cup run ends for Zulia
0-1 against Deportivo Lara, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.
Match24 Feb 2029
Aragua made Zulia work for it, but the scoreboard read 3-1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad26 Feb 2029
The manager makes an example of Ángelo Rivas
“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.
Squad26 Feb 2029
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Zulia have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Squad26 Feb 2029
At 16 years old, Fernando Osorio became the latest name off the academy production line to be handed a senior shirt.
Squad26 Feb 2029
Jesús Gamarra knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match17 Feb 2029
No mercy from Zulia
Deportivo Lara will want this one forgotten quickly: 3-0, every duel lost, and a long ride home. Zulia were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.
Market19 Feb 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad19 Feb 2029
The match ball belongs to Lorenzo Russo, whose 3 goals turned a difficult afternoon into a procession.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match10 Feb 2029
No end in sight to Zulia's wait for a win
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zulia has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad12 Feb 2029
The medical room confirms 31 days on the sidelines for Santino Ortiz, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Match10 Feb 2029
A bad afternoon for Zulia against Caracas
0-1 to Caracas, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad5 Feb 2029
There were 9 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.
Match3 Feb 2029
No end in sight to Zulia's wait for a win
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zulia has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad5 Feb 2029
“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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match27 Jan 2029
No end in sight to Zulia's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zulia has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad29 Jan 2029
“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.
Match27 Jan 2029
3-3, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad29 Jan 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Rafael Moreno and Zulia agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad29 Jan 2029
Ángelo Rivas knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad29 Jan 2029
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces22 Jan 2029
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 6 of the 30 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Boardroom22 Jan 2029
A new deal for the man in the dugout, and the clearest thing a board can say without calling a press conference about it. Stability is cheap to promise and expensive to deliver.
Match20 Jan 2029
No end in sight to Zulia's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zulia has to find a result from somewhere.
Market22 Jan 2029
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Market22 Jan 2029
The shirt still fits. David Casseres is back at Zulia, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market22 Jan 2029
The shirt still fits. Diego Ramirez is back at Zulia, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market22 Jan 2029
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Match20 Jan 2029
2-3 to Deportivo Tachira, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad22 Jan 2029
“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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad15 Jan 2029
The medical room confirms 63 days on the sidelines for Santino Ortiz, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market15 Jan 2029
The window shut and Khetag Kochiev is still in the building
Zulia spent a month trying to move him and nobody rang back. He trains with a squad that has told him where he stands, and both sides start counting down to the next one.
Squad15 Jan 2029
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Lorenzo Russo has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad8 Jan 2029
“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.
Squad8 Jan 2029
The medical room confirms 14 days on the sidelines for Eetu Vertainen, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Boardroom8 Jan 2029
$130.3K a year onto the Zulia books
A new partner, a signature and a photograph nobody will remember. It funds a fortnight of wages, which is more than most headlines on this page can say for themselves.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad1 Jan 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Francisco Acosta commits to Zulia for another 5 years.
Squad1 Jan 2029
The manager makes an example of Fernando Rincon
“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.
Squad1 Jan 2029
Santino Ortiz knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market25 Dec 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad25 Dec 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Luciano Agüero and Zulia agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market25 Dec 2028
Francisco Acosta is 20, and Zulia have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.
Market25 Dec 2028
Santino Ortiz is 20, and Zulia have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.
Squad25 Dec 2028
A new face in his position, and Khetag Kochiev suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Zulia have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
Market25 Dec 2028
Zulia have made Rubén Rivas available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market18 Dec 2028
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Khetag Kochiev may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
Squad18 Dec 2028
Ángelo Rivas knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market18 Dec 2028
Experience through the door at Zulia
Yahya Salahshour arrives at 36 with nothing left to prove and plenty left to pass on. Legs are a young man's currency; knowing where to stand never ages.
Market18 Dec 2028
Experience through the door at Zulia
Rubén Rivas arrives at 35 with nothing left to prove and plenty left to pass on. Legs are a young man's currency; knowing where to stand never ages.
Squad18 Dec 2028
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Khetag Kochiev keeps the shirt for now, at Zulia's convenience rather than his own.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad11 Dec 2028
45 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad11 Dec 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Benicio Sánchez Coria and Zulia agree another 5 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad11 Dec 2028
Ángelo Rivas asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market11 Dec 2028
The name of Khetag Kochiev keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zulia say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad11 Dec 2028
A new face in his position, and Eetu Vertainen suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Zulia have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
Market11 Dec 2028
The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Benicio Sánchez Coria arrives at Zulia with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market4 Dec 2028
Khetag Kochiev is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Zulia has been clear about where Khetag Kochiev stands, which is more than many ever get.
Squad4 Dec 2028
The manager makes an example of Khetag Kochiev
“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.
Squad4 Dec 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Rashid Al Menhali and Zulia agree another 1 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market4 Dec 2028
The name of Lorenzo Russo keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zulia say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad4 Dec 2028
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Eetu Vertainen keeps the shirt for now, at Zulia's convenience rather than his own.
Market4 Dec 2028
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Matías Lozano may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market27 Nov 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zulia is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad27 Nov 2028
“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.
Squad27 Nov 2028
Khetag Kochiev asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad20 Nov 2028
“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.
Squad20 Nov 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad20 Nov 2028
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Juan Ferraresi has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad13 Nov 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Rafael Martinez and Zulia agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad13 Nov 2028
Mateo La Bollita asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market13 Nov 2028
7 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Zulia could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad6 Nov 2028
Fernando Rincon: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Zulia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad6 Nov 2028
“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.
Boardroom6 Nov 2028
Zulia sign a deal worth $128.1K a year
Commercial news is the news nobody sings about and everything else is paid for with. The board will call it a partnership; the accountants will call it the difference between this squad and a smaller one.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad30 Oct 2028
Marcos Ojeda: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Zulia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market30 Oct 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zulia is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad30 Oct 2028
30 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad23 Oct 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Derick Keiser and Zulia agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad23 Oct 2028
Marcos Ojeda gets it from the manager
“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.
Squad23 Oct 2028
Ángelo Rivas knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad16 Oct 2028
“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.
Squad16 Oct 2028
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Juan Ferraresi plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
Boardroom16 Oct 2028
The Zulia board put their names to it
A statement of support, which is cheap, and a conversation about the next window, which is not. The second one is the part the manager wanted.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad9 Oct 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Jose Savarino and Zulia agree another 1 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad9 Oct 2028
Khetag Kochiev knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market9 Oct 2028
The name of Lorenzo Russo keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zulia say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market2 Oct 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zulia is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad2 Oct 2028
60 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad2 Oct 2028
“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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad25 Sep 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad25 Sep 2028
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Lorenzo Russo has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
Squad25 Sep 2028
A welcome sight on the training pitch: Marcos Ojeda has come through recovery and is pushing for a place again.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad18 Sep 2028
“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.
Squad18 Sep 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad18 Sep 2028
The manager comes out for Ángelo Rivas
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Ángelo Rivas has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match6 Sep 2028
The cup run ends for Zulia
0-1 against Deportivo La Guaira, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.
Squad11 Sep 2028
“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.
Squad11 Sep 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Francisco Martinez commits to Zulia for another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad4 Sep 2028
“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.
Market4 Sep 2028
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Zulia they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad4 Sep 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Marcos Ojeda commits to Zulia for another 2 years.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market28 Aug 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad28 Aug 2028
The manager makes an example of Marcos Ojeda
“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.
Squad28 Aug 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Francisco Rondon commits to Zulia for another 4 years.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 Aug 2028
“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.
Squad21 Aug 2028
Khetag Kochiev knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad21 Aug 2028
The manager comes out for Marcos Ojeda
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Marcos Ojeda has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market14 Aug 2028
$8.4M is a serious amount of money and it does not play centre-forward. Everybody in the dressing room knows who used to be looked at when it went wrong.
The terraces14 Aug 2028
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 6 of the 29 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Squad14 Aug 2028
“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.
Squad14 Aug 2028
“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.
Match12 Aug 2028
Metropolitanos left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad14 Aug 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Jose Savarino commits to Zulia for another 1 years.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market7 Aug 2028
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Zulia they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad7 Aug 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Eetu Vertainen and Zulia agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad7 Aug 2028
The medical room confirms 120 days on the sidelines for Jose Savarino, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Match5 Aug 2028
Beaten 2-3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad7 Aug 2028
The manager makes an example of Khetag Kochiev
“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.
Squad7 Aug 2028
Marcos Ojeda left out for the big one
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Marcos Ojeda will call it something else in private.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match29 Jul 2028
Zulia get the job done against Zamora
A 1-0 win over Zamora, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad31 Jul 2028
“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.
Squad31 Jul 2028
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Market31 Jul 2028
1 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Zulia money.
Squad31 Jul 2028
Blas Vicente wants a proper job in this side
Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Blas Vicente has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Zulia know, and have known for weeks.
Market31 Jul 2028
Zulia spent the window trying to move Richard Gonzalez on and nobody came. He trains with a squad that has already told him he is not part of it, and both sides now wait for the next one.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market24 Jul 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zulia is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad24 Jul 2028
At 21, Junior Rincon is already the best thing here
An average of 7.34 in a first team he is several years too young for. Zulia have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Match22 Jul 2028
A 3-1 win over Llaneros, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad24 Jul 2028
Marcos Ojeda gets it from the manager
“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.
Squad24 Jul 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Ángelo Rivas commits to Zulia for another 5 years.
Squad24 Jul 2028
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Zulia pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match15 Jul 2028
No end in sight to Zulia's wait for a win
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zulia has to find a result from somewhere.
Match15 Jul 2028
Atletico Venezuela left with the points after a 0-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad17 Jul 2028
“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.
Market17 Jul 2028
Ángelo Rivas is 20, and Zulia have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.
Squad17 Jul 2028
At 20 years old, Ángelo Rivas became the latest name off the academy production line to be handed a senior shirt.
Market17 Jul 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zulia know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market10 Jul 2028
$4.3M is a serious amount of money and it does not play centre-forward. Everybody in the dressing room knows who used to be looked at when it went wrong.
Squad10 Jul 2028
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.
Match8 Jul 2028
No end in sight to Zulia's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zulia has to find a result from somewhere.
Loan watch10 Jul 2028
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Zulia, and 0 appearances in 1 say he has earned the hearing.
Squad10 Jul 2028
Khetag Kochiev knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Match8 Jul 2028
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Estudiantes de Caracas defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Squad10 Jul 2028
“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.
Squad10 Jul 2028
Somebody is after Marcos Ojeda’s shirt
A new face in his position, and Marcos Ojeda suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Zulia have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
Market10 Jul 2028
The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Mateo La Bollita arrives at Zulia with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market3 Jul 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market3 Jul 2028
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Zulia have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Match1 Jul 2028
No end in sight to Zulia's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Zulia has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad3 Jul 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Lorenzo Russo commits to Zulia for another 5 years.
Match1 Jul 2028
Beaten 1-2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad3 Jul 2028
No place for Marcos Ojeda on the big day
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Zulia pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
Squad3 Jul 2028
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Richard Soteldo knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Squad3 Jul 2028
“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.
The terraces3 Jul 2028
The stands have heard the Darwin Martinez talk too
What was a back-page story is now a matter for the terraces, and the terraces do not do nuance. Zulia would like it dealt with before it becomes the only question anybody asks.
From our football correspondent
Steady
The terraces26 Jun 2028
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 7 of the 30 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Market26 Jun 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zulia is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad26 Jun 2028
At 21, Junior Rincon is already the best thing here
An average of 7.30 in a first team he is several years too young for. Zulia have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad26 Jun 2028
The manager makes an example of Khetag Kochiev
“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.
Match24 Jun 2028
A bad afternoon for Zulia against Carabobo
0-1 to Carabobo, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Market26 Jun 2028
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Richard Gonzalez may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad19 Jun 2028
Oscar Soteldo: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Zulia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match17 Jun 2028
Portuguesa left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Market19 Jun 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zulia know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market12 Jun 2028
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad12 Jun 2028
Richard Gonzalez: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Zulia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match10 Jun 2028
Zulia and Aragua take a point apiece
It finished 2-2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Market12 Jun 2028
Sergio Moreno is 20, and Zulia have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.
Market12 Jun 2028
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Zulia has been clear about where Richard Gonzalez stands, which is more than many ever get.
Market12 Jun 2028
Zulia bring in an old head
Matías Lozano is 38 and has run out of things to prove. What he has left is where to stand, when to slow it down and what to say at half-time, and none of that is on a fitness chart.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Match31 May 2028
Zulia march on in the cup
Atletico Venezuela are out and Zulia go through, 1-0 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.
Match3 Jun 2028
No mercy from Zulia
Deportivo Lara will want this one forgotten quickly: 4-1, every duel lost, and a long ride home. Zulia were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.
Squad5 Jun 2028
The match ball belongs to Darwin Martinez, whose 3 goals turned a difficult afternoon into a procession.
Match3 Jun 2028
Zulia make it 3 in a row
Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Zulia have 3 straight wins of it.
Squad5 Jun 2028
The manager makes an example of Marcos Ojeda
“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.
Squad5 Jun 2028
The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Zulia have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.
Boardroom5 Jun 2028
$4.2M on the table at Zulia
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
Squad5 Jun 2028
Zulia will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.
Market5 Jun 2028
Zulia have made Fernando Rincon available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market29 May 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zulia is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad29 May 2028
A season average of 7.31 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Zulia know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Match27 May 2028
Zulia get the job done against Caracas
A 2-1 win over Caracas, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad29 May 2028
“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.
Squad29 May 2028
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Franyer Oliveros keeps the shirt for now, at Zulia's convenience rather than his own.
Squad29 May 2028
It went in off him and he did not care in the slightest. 7 for the season now, and a forward who has scored is a different footballer by Tuesday.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad22 May 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Junior Rincon and Zulia agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Match20 May 2028
0-2 to Deportivo La Guaira, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad22 May 2028
The manager makes an example of Darwin Martinez
“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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match13 May 2028
Estudiantes de Merida left with the points after a 0-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad15 May 2028
The manager makes an example of Khetag Kochiev
“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.
Squad15 May 2028
At 23 he is in the side on merit and somebody else is watching from the bench. Places at Zulia are won quietly and lost loudly.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad8 May 2028
The manager makes an example of Marcos Ojeda
“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.
Match6 May 2028
Three points for Zulia, 1-0 the final word against Deportivo Tachira in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad8 May 2028
The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Zulia have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.
Boardroom8 May 2028
$4.2M on the table at Zulia
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
Squad8 May 2028
“I will know when it is time. I am not there yet.” Oscar Soteldo is 34, with 13 appearances behind him, and Zulia will have to plan for whichever answer comes.
Squad8 May 2028
Blas Vicente wants a proper job in this side
Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Blas Vicente has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Zulia know, and have known for weeks.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market1 May 2028
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match29 Apr 2028
6 matches without a win for Zulia
The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Zulia are no longer polite ones.
Market1 May 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zulia is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad1 May 2028
At 20, Junior Rincon is already the best thing here
An average of 7.21 in a first team he is several years too young for. Zulia have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad1 May 2028
The manager makes an example of Eetu Vertainen
“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.
Match29 Apr 2028
0-1 to Metropolitanos, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad24 Apr 2028
Oscar Soteldo: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Zulia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match22 Apr 2028
5 matches without a win for Zulia
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Zulia are no longer polite ones.
Squad24 Apr 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Khetag Kochiev commits to Zulia for another 4 years.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match17 Apr 2028
Zulia up to position 3
21 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.
Squad17 Apr 2028
Richard Gonzalez: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Zulia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match15 Apr 2028
4 matches without a win for Zulia
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Zulia are no longer polite ones.
Match15 Apr 2028
Ninety minutes, two goalkeepers with clean gloves, and not one finish worth keeping. Zamora will be the happier side with the point.
Squad17 Apr 2028
Jose Savarino asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad17 Apr 2028
The selectors could not leave Junior Rincon out
7.13 across ninety minutes and a place in the division's team of the week. He was the best player on that pitch and everybody there knew it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad10 Apr 2028
The manager makes an example of Marcos Ojeda
“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.
Match8 Apr 2028
1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad10 Apr 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market3 Apr 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zulia is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad3 Apr 2028
A season average of 7.08 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Zulia know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Match1 Apr 2028
2-3 to Atletico Venezuela, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad3 Apr 2028
The manager makes an example of Khetag Kochiev
“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.
Squad3 Apr 2028
The medical room confirms 48 days on the sidelines for Juan Arango, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Boardroom3 Apr 2028
Zulia release $4.2M for the manager
The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match25 Mar 2028
9 unbeaten for Zulia
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 9 matches without defeat is a foundation Zulia did not have in the autumn.
Squad27 Mar 2028
The manager makes an example of Darwin Martinez
“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.
Match25 Mar 2028
1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match20 Mar 2028
Zulia up to position 2
18 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.
Match18 Mar 2028
8 unbeaten for Zulia
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 8 matches without defeat is a foundation Zulia did not have in the autumn.
Match18 Mar 2028
Mineros de Guayana made Zulia work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad20 Mar 2028
“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.
Squad20 Mar 2028
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Zulia have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Squad20 Mar 2028
Junior Rincon unhappy with how he is being used
Asked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Junior Rincon has let it be known that he does not like the way Zulia are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.
Squad20 Mar 2028
At 20 he has made the position his own, and the man he took it from has to find something to say about it. Zulia have a decision that made itself.
Market20 Mar 2028
No fee, no negotiation, no argument: Oscar Herrera moves on to another club with his contract settled and the wage bill a little lighter.
The terraces20 Mar 2028
The press cannot get enough of Eetu Vertainen
Praise is not points and never has been. It is, however, the fastest way for a valuation to move, and everybody in the game reads the same pages.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match11 Mar 2028
7 unbeaten for Zulia
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 7 matches without defeat is a foundation Zulia did not have in the autumn.
Squad13 Mar 2028
The manager makes an example of Richard Soteldo
“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.
Match11 Mar 2028
1-1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad6 Mar 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Richard Soteldo and Zulia agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market6 Mar 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zulia is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Match4 Mar 2028
Portuguesa made Zulia work for it, but the scoreboard read 3-2 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Match4 Mar 2028
6 unbeaten for Zulia
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Zulia did not have in the autumn.
Squad6 Mar 2028
The manager makes an example of Khetag Kochiev
“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.
Boardroom6 Mar 2028
Zulia release $4.2M for the manager
The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad28 Feb 2028
3 kept out in the shoot-out, and a stadium that will still be describing them in twenty years. A goalkeeper only needs one of these to be remembered forever.
Match23 Feb 2028
Zulia through in the cup
A 0-0 win over Deportivo Lara, and the draw for the next round can be watched with some interest for once.
Squad28 Feb 2028
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Zulia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market28 Feb 2028
Oscar Herrera 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 Zulia can pretend not to have heard.
Squad28 Feb 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Juan Ferraresi commits to Zulia for another 3 years.
Squad28 Feb 2028
“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.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match19 Feb 2028
Deportivo Lara made Zulia work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad21 Feb 2028
The manager makes an example of Emmanuel Chacón
“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.
Squad21 Feb 2028
Eetu Vertainen knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The terraces21 Feb 2028
Everybody has an opinion about Khetag Kochiev
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
Squad21 Feb 2028
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Squad21 Feb 2028
At 28 he has made the position his own, and the man he took it from has to find something to say about it. Zulia have a decision that made itself.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match12 Feb 2028
Zulia get the job done against Caracas
A 2-1 win over Caracas, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad14 Feb 2028
“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.
Squad14 Feb 2028
Junior Rincon knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad14 Feb 2028
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Zulia have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Squad14 Feb 2028
At 23 he is in the side on merit and somebody else is watching from the bench. Places at Zulia are won quietly and lost loudly.
Market14 Feb 2028
6 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Zulia could get for him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad7 Feb 2028
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.
Market7 Feb 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zulia is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad7 Feb 2028
Marcos Ojeda gets it from the manager
“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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces31 Jan 2028
The ground has had enough
“We travel everywhere and we get this.” 6 of the 29 senior players heard it walking off, and the ones who did not hear it were not playing.
Market31 Jan 2028
Oscar Herrera 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 Zulia can pretend not to have heard.
Match29 Jan 2028
Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad31 Jan 2028
The manager makes an example of Richard Soteldo
“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.
Market31 Jan 2028
He is 20, and nobody at Zulia signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad31 Jan 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Jose Rincon commits to Zulia for another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad24 Jan 2028
“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.
Boardroom24 Jan 2028
The board have signed the man in the dugout to a longer contract, which says more than any statement of support. Stability is easy to promise and costly to keep.
Match22 Jan 2028
Still nobody has beaten Zulia
The unbeaten run reaches 7. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Market24 Jan 2028
The shirt still fits. Tiziano Arce Quirino is back at Zulia, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market24 Jan 2028
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Market24 Jan 2028
The shirt still fits. Victor Machis is back at Zulia, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market24 Jan 2028
The shirt still fits. Andres Ferraresi is back at Zulia, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Squad24 Jan 2028
The manager makes an example of Khetag Kochiev
“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.
Match22 Jan 2028
A 1-0 win over Deportivo Tachira, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad17 Jan 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Rafael Martinez and Zulia agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad17 Jan 2028
Junior Rincon has company in his position
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Junior Rincon keeps the shirt for now, at Zulia's convenience rather than his own.
Market17 Jan 2028
No fee and no drama: Eetu Vertainen has signed at Zulia, and the wage bill is the only line that moved.
Market17 Jan 2028
Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Francisco Savarino leaves Zulia the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.
Market17 Jan 2028
Contract settled, hands shaken, no fee changing hands. Roberto Gonzalez leaves Zulia the quiet way, and the wage bill breathes a little easier.
Market17 Jan 2028
7 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Zulia money.
In brief
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Squad
Junior Rincon keeps his manager's vote
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Boardroom
The Zulia board put their names to it
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad10 Jan 2028
“The easiest signature of my career.” Darwin Martinez and Zulia agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market10 Jan 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zulia is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad10 Jan 2028
Darwin Martinez asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market10 Jan 2028
No fee, no negotiation, no argument: Salomon Ramirez moves on to another club with his contract settled and the wage bill a little lighter.
Market10 Jan 2028
No fee, no negotiation, no argument: Carlos Gonzalez moves on to another club with his contract settled and the wage bill a little lighter.
Market10 Jan 2028
The window shut and Francisco Soteldo is still in the building
Zulia spent a month trying to move him and nobody rang back. He trains with a squad that has told him where he stands, and both sides start counting down to the next one.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market3 Jan 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Zulia is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad3 Jan 2028
16 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Boardroom3 Jan 2028
Zulia release $1.7M for the manager
The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.
Squad3 Jan 2028
Darwin Martinez asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market3 Jan 2028
The name of Lorenzo Russo keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zulia say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad3 Jan 2028
The captaincy goes to Lorenzo Russo. It is not a job that wins matches, but a dressing room always notices who is given it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match27 Dec 2027
Zulia are in among the leaders
Position 2 and 54 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Market27 Dec 2027
Oscar Soteldo 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 Zulia can pretend not to have heard.
Squad27 Dec 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.
Squad27 Dec 2027
Junior Rincon knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market27 Dec 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Zulia know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market27 Dec 2027
No fee, no negotiation, no argument: Luis Arango moves on to another club with his contract settled and the wage bill a little lighter.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market20 Dec 2027
$7.4M from Rosario Central for Luis Machis. Money is money, but the dressing room has lost the man it looked to.
Boardroom20 Dec 2027
Continental nights are coming to Zulia
Qualification is secured, and next season the big floodlit nights are continental ones. For the players it is a stage; for the accounts it is a lifeline; for the supporters it is passports.
Market20 Dec 2027
Roberto Osorio has left for Caracas in a $180.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Squad20 Dec 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.
Market20 Dec 2027
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Squad20 Dec 2027
The medical room confirms 16 days on the sidelines for Oscar Herrera, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match8 Dec 2027
Zulia bow out of the cup
Carabobo go through and Zulia go home, 2-2 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.
Squad13 Dec 2027
A shoot-out is remembered by its ending, and this one ends with Richard Soteldo: 1 kept out, and a set of supporters who will describe every one of them for the next twenty years.
Market13 Dec 2027
Godoy Cruz come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Zulia did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market13 Dec 2027
The name of Luis Machis has come up in conversations Zulia were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Market13 Dec 2027
Oscar Herrera has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Zulia they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Match8 Dec 2027
6 unbeaten for Zulia
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Zulia did not have in the autumn.
Squad13 Dec 2027
Lorenzo Russo is in the form of his life
A season average of 7.41 with 9 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Squad13 Dec 2027
Dipson Meza left out for the big one
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Dipson Meza will call it something else in private.
Squad13 Dec 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market6 Dec 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad6 Dec 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Roberto Osorio commits to Zulia for another 1 years.
Squad6 Dec 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.
Boardroom6 Dec 2027
Zulia release $1.7M for the manager
The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.
Market6 Dec 2027
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Oscar Soteldo has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Zulia.
Market6 Dec 2027
The name of Lorenzo Russo keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Zulia say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match29 Nov 2027
Zulia are in among the leaders
Position 2 and 54 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Squad29 Nov 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 Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market29 Nov 2027
2 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Zulia money.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad22 Nov 2027
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Yeferson Moreno plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
Squad22 Nov 2027
A welcome sight on the training pitch: Andres Gonzalez has come through recovery and is pushing for a place again.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad15 Nov 2027
International call for Luis Machis
Luis Machis joins up with his country. Zulia lose him for the window and would like him back in one piece.
Squad15 Nov 2027
Oscar Soteldo knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Zulia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad15 Nov 2027
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Lorenzo Russo plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market8 Nov 2027
Roberto Osorio has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Zulia they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad8 Nov 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Darwin Martinez and Zulia agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad8 Nov 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match1 Nov 2027
Zulia are in among the leaders
Position 2 and 54 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Squad1 Nov 2027
The manager makes an example of Junior Rincon
“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.
Squad1 Nov 2027
14 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market25 Oct 2027
Jose Rincon 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 Zulia can pretend not to have heard.
Squad25 Oct 2027
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Junior Rincon has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
Squad25 Oct 2027
He came through the session, took part in everything and finished it smiling. Zulia will not rush him, and he will spend the next fortnight trying to rush them.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad18 Oct 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.
Squad18 Oct 2027
The manager makes an example of Cristian Moreno
“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.
Squad18 Oct 2027
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Lorenzo Russo plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
In brief
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Boardroom
The Zulia board put their names to it
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Squad
Luis Machis back in training