Rampla Juniors in crisis: Court steps in, debts and money probe

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Radio Gol

·5 March 2026

Rampla Juniors in crisis: Court steps in, debts and money probe

The historic Rampla Juniors is going through the darkest chapter of its existence. The Uruguayan Justice has formally declared the necessary bankruptcy proceedings and the preventive seizure of the institution, after confirming an absolute insolvency situation: the debts accumulated by the American businessman Foster Gillett and his Argentine partner Guillermo Tofoni far exceed the club's assets.

This judicial resolution, framed within Law No. 18.387, entails the immediate removal of the current authorities and the appointment of a trustee through the Uruguayan Association of Experts. This overseer will have the monumental task of auditing the administration, organizing the liabilities, and supervising economic movements to try to save the entity from total bankruptcy.

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The financial collapse is not the only open front. The National Secretariat for the Fight against Money Laundering (SENACLAFT) is actively investigating Gillett and Tofoni for alleged money laundering maneuvers.

Given the seriousness of the charges, the Justice has taken severe precautionary measures: Intervention of communications: Exchanges related to the club's professional operations will be monitored.

Judicial restraint: The directors are prohibited from changing their residence or leaving Uruguay without express authorization.
Generic embargo: A freeze has been placed on the personal assets and rights of the administrators due to the multitude of pre-existing claims.
Key date: A Creditors' Meeting has been convened for September 22, 2026, where the institution's patrimonial fate will be decided.
A «devastated» management: From investment promises to eviction What began as an ambitious project by the Sports Corporation (SAD) led by Gillett ended in an emptying of infrastructure and resources. The club, which had to rent out its stadium out of necessity, now doesn't even have a place to train.

The 2026 preseason is paralyzed because Rampla has been expelled from three sports centers due to non-payment:

Naval School of Carrasco: The premises (National Historic Monument) closed its doors due to rental debts.
Vázquez Complex: The owner filed a legal claim after six months of default.
La Marina Complex (Cerro): Also terminated the service due to non-compliance. As a result, the First Division squad has to work in an Olympic Stadium that is in a critically neglected state due to a lack of basic maintenance.
The impact on football: Inhibitions and affected coaches In strictly sporting terms, the outlook is bleak. The Uruguayan footballers' union (the Mutual) has the club inhibited for an amount close to $400,000. Under AUF regulations, Rampla cannot register new contracts until that amount is settled, putting its competitive participation at risk.

Added to this are labor claims from former coaches and youth division staff. According to recent records:

Leandro Somoza only received two months' salary.
Mario Saralegui and Rubén Paz were paid only one month of the six they worked under the Tofoni-Gillett management.

The crisis of Rampla Juniors today represents the failure of a management model that arrived promising an economic revolution and ended with the club under judicial administration, without training fields, and with its leaders under the scrutiny of criminal justice.

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