Dorival Júnior on Martínez’s tricky return to Corinthians

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Central do Timão

·18 January 2026

Dorival Júnior on Martínez’s tricky return to Corinthians

By Henrique Vigliotti and Leonardo Rodrigues/ Central do Timão Editorial Team

Corinthians drew 1-1 in the Majestic against São Paulo at the Neo Química Arena this Sunday (18), in a match valid for the third round of the Campeonato Paulista, with goals scored by Tapia for the rival, and Breno Bidon in the final minutes for Timão.

One of the most delicate moments of coach Dorival Júnior's press conference after the classic occurred when, even before being questioned, he made a point of addressing the situation of Venezuelan midfielder José Martínez, who is still awaiting the completion of bureaucratic procedures to return to Brazil: “Martínez, this situation that happened with him, he has to seek recovery within our own group, so that he can have the confidence to return in his best condition.”

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Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Ag. Corinthians

The information gathered behind the scenes by the Central do Timão is that the athlete has been responding to contacts made by the Timão board, but has been facing communication difficulties with Dorival Júnior and members of the Corinthians technical staff, including a message sent by the coach that was not answered.

Internally, the club is considering possible disciplinary measures due to the episode involving the lack of response to the technical staff's contacts. Still, as Dorival Júnior made a point of emphasizing in the press conference, Corinthians is not considering negotiating the midfielder at this moment.

“Many came to talk to me about it, saying I had made Carrillo and Martínez available for a possible exchange, it's a big lie, it didn't happen, I didn't make any athlete from our group available”, clarified the coach.

The midfielder traveled to his home country at the end of 2025 to resolve bureaucratic issues, including passport renewal, an essential step for obtaining a new work visa in Brazil. However, the worsening political situation in Venezuela, after the capture of President Nicolás Maduro by the United States, caused delays and interruptions in public services, which ended up prolonging his stay beyond the initially planned period.

Even from a distance, Martínez continues to maintain his physical fitness. The player has already started the process of issuing the new passport, with photos and documentation submitted, and expected to return to Brazil last Friday (16). While awaiting final clearance, he is undergoing physical training with the help of a local physical trainer and receives remote support from the club.

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