Martínez turns up late for the fourth time, Corinthians consider punishment | OneFootball

The Venezuelan midfielder José Martínez has still not reported back to the Dr. Joaquim Grava Training Center in 2026. The Corinthians player is currently in Venezuela to resolve bureaucratic issues related to the reissuance of his passport and has caused discomfort within the club.

This is not the first time Martínez has taken longer than expected to report back to Corinthians. In October of last year, he missed six training sessions before a derby against Santos and was fined.

However, Gazeta Esportiva has exclusively learned that the athlete has already been late in reporting back on two other occasions. In both cases, though, football executive Fabinho Soldado managed to keep it under wraps.

(Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians)

Corinthians already considering punishment

Annoyed by the situation, the Corinthians board is considering a new penalty for José Martínez. The club is evaluating possible sanctions through its legal department and is considering imposing the ‘maximum punishment possible’ allowed by law, which would be a fine of about 40% of the player’s salary.

The Venezuelan’s case has also bothered Dorival Júnior. The player ignored attempts at contact from the coach and has only communicated with Marcelo Paz, football executive, and Renan Bloise, manager of the performance analysis department.

The Timão coach is already considering punishing him sportingly, putting Martínez at the back of the line in the competition for a spot on the team.

“This situation that happened, he [Martínez] will have to work on regaining the trust of our group so that he can return to his best condition,” said Dorival in the latest press conference.

When will Martínez return?

According to reports, Martínez informed the Corinthians board that he would report back this Monday. However, as of the publication of this article, he had still not appeared at the Dr. Joaquim Grava Training Center.

Therefore, even if the player reports back in the coming days, the club still intends to punish him. During his absence, the Timão coaching staff sent the midfielder a training plan to help him maintain his physical condition.

Corinthians’ next match

By Tiago Salazar and André Costa

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