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River Plate faces a leadership transition and internal backlash following a Copa Sudamericana elimination that triggered manager Eduardo Coudet’s departure and controversial social media reactions from sidelined players.
The sporting crisis deepened immediately after the team’s penalty-shootout loss. Amid widespread fan criticism regarding the club’s roster management, two players currently excluded from the professional squad shared posts on Instagram.
Roster Purge and Sidelined Player Fallout
Before the preseason began, River Plate management announced a sweeping decision to isolate 14 professional players from the main squad, requiring them to train separately at the Cantilo facility. Club leadership made it clear that the exclusion directive originated directly from the board of directors rather than the technical staff.
Neither player has secured a permanent transfer. Galarza Fonda traveled to Paraguay due to a personal matter, keeping him away from the Cantilo training ground while he awaits a concrete offer from Olimpia, despite holding a contract with River through December 2028. Meanwhile, Páez remains at the club waiting for Chelsea, the holder of his transfer, to determine his next career destination following a stint of 14 appearances in River’s jersey.
“The decision of the sidelined players responds to a sporting issue,” Di Carlo said. “To incorporate you have to clear space. In this case, it was a very significant number of professionals and we had to make a decision that in terms of manners, forms, and location was a mistake. A short time later, we offered them to return to train in Ezeiza, but they decided to leave everything as it is.”
Ricardo Centurión Renews Coudet Conflict
The fallout extended beyond current roster members when former Racing player Ricardo Centurión publicly reacted to River’s elimination.
Centurión later clarified the target of his comments during an appearance on a streaming broadcast hosted by Davoo Xeneize and Gastón Edul, linking the post to his previous friction with Coudet at Racing in 2019. “Clearly yes, it was because of that because with me he was not an honest guy, beyond me always taking charge that I made the mess,” Centurión stated on the stream. He added that Coudet refused to meet with him after a disciplinary incident, and claimed the manager did not invite him to celebrate Racing’s subsequent league title.