Corinthians opt to punish midfielder José Martínez, find out why

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Central do Timão

·20 January 2026

Corinthians opt to punish midfielder José Martínez, find out why

By Henrique Vigliotti, Vinicios Cotrim, and Vinícius Lúcio / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Corinthians is still awaiting the return of midfielder José Martínez, who has remained in Venezuela since the start of the season to urgently resolve issues related to his passport and work visa, documentation necessary for his regularization, especially with an eye on participating in South American competitions.

The information gathered by the Central do Timão team is that Corinthians intends to apply an internal punishment to the midfielder, with a deduction from part of his salary, due to the strong discomfort caused by the player's behavior. The club views his failure to return to the coaching staff negatively and believes that Martínez will have to return to training and earn his place back in the squad, as already happened in 2025, when the player was away for about a week without providing justification to the staff led by Dorival Jr.

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Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Ag. Corinthians

Now, the Corinthians board and coaching staff are waiting for Martínez to report back by the end of this week. The midfielder is expected to receive the internal punishment and will have discussions regarding his conduct, in addition to needing to improve his physical and technical condition to regain his place in the team, as has happened on other occasions when he was out due to injury or suspension.

Signed in August 2024, Martínez has a contract valid until the end of the 2027 season. A starter under Dorival Jr. in 2025, the midfielder was even considered as a possible bargaining chip in a negotiation for fellow midfielder Alisson, from São Paulo, a scenario dismissed by the coach, who made it clear he does not want to give up any player considered important for the 2026 season.

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