Palestino chief slams Atlético over Román debt, Galo hits back

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·12 January 2026

Palestino chief slams Atlético over Román debt, Galo hits back

Atlético has once again found itself at the center of an international controversy involving Chilean football. This time, the president of Palestino, Jorge Uauy, harshly criticized the club from Minas Gerais over a debt related to the signing of defender Ivan Román, questioning the reliability of Galo in future negotiations in the country.

In an interview with the portal No Ataque, Jorge Uauy revealed that he even warned Universidad de Chile, a club negotiating the sale of midfielder Assadi to Atlético, about the situation involving the black-and-white club. According to the executive, Palestino has not yet received any of the agreed installments for the defender's transfer.

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“They haven't paid any of the installments and now they appear to be buying another Chilean player for US$ 5 million,” stated Uauy.

The president of Palestino also said that, even without being officially consulted by the board of Universidad de Chile, he made sure to express his concern about Atlético's financial situation.

“They didn't consult me, but I warned them about this,” he added.

Atlético's Response

Following the repercussion of the statements, Atlético officially responded on the afternoon of this Monday (12), through its Communications Department. In a statement, the club from Minas Gerais asserted that negotiations are underway to resolve the issue with Palestino and denied any connection between the debt and the potential signing of Assadi.

Atlético clarifies that there are ongoing negotiations to settle the financial issue with Palestino, from Chile, and that this has no connection with the ongoing negotiation between Galo and Universidad de Chile. The attempt to link one situation to the other is unfounded and malicious, and does not correspond to the reality of the facts.

Ivan Román's Time at Galo

Ivan Román joined Atlético at the end of February 2025, in a deal worth around R$ 11.4 million (exchange rate at the time). Wearing the black and white jersey, the defender played 16 matches, being part of the professional squad throughout the season.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.