SAO PAULO.- He Corinthians confirmed the departure of the Venezuelan international José “El Brujo” Martínezafter the player reported more than a month late to the Brazilian club’s facility, with a ligament injury in his left knee.
Martínez, 31 years old, arrived at Timão in the 2024 season, from Philadelphia Union of the MLS United States. The defensive midfielder had a contract until December 2027.
“Corinthians had the possibility, had evidence, to make a unilateral contract termination, but we opted for a friendly, negotiated agreement, understanding the human side of the player, who is going to have to undergo surgery,” he declared on Thursday night. Marcelo Pazsoccer executive of the Sao Paulo team.
The negotiation to close the agreement is in the “final stage,” added Paz, in a statement to the press after the 2-0 victory of the popular club. Brazil before him Bragantino on the third day of the league.
Martínez, a regular starter in 2025, went on vacation to Venezuela after winning the Brazil Cup in December and his return was delayed until last weekend.
To justify the delays, the midfielder alleged administrative difficulties in renewing his passport after the bombings of USA in his country and the capture of the dictator Nicolas Maduro.
And he arrived injured.
Photos and videos in which he was seen playing an exhibition match in Venezuela in December went viral on social networks.
Paz thanked him for his “legacy”, but made it clear that “the disciplinary issue is above all else.”
Corinthians “could not let a situation like this pass,” stressed the leader, who announced that the institution will provide assistance to Martínez to undergo surgery.
Already in October of last year, Martínez had missed several training sessions of the São Paulo team, reporting late after a break due to date. FIFA for national team matches.
Cruz Azul thrashed the Vancouver Whitecaps
In overwhelming mode and with Luka Romero outstanding, the Blue Cross advanced on Thursday to the round of 16 of the Concacaf Champions Cup by beating 5-0 Vancouver F.C. Canadian in the second leg of the first phase.
With this victory at the Cuauhtémoc stadium in the city of Puebla, the “Celestial Machine” advanced to the second round with an overall score of 8-0.
“The level of the opponent’s position invited us to believe that the series could be won long before playing it, but it will not always be this way. If there is something to recognize, it is the seriousness and commitment we have as a group to win with the authority that the history of Cruz Azul deserves in this tournament,” he said. Nicolás Larcamóntechnical director of the Aztec team.
