Vélez terminated Imanol Machuca's contract after FIFA sanction | OneFootball

Vélez Sarsfield decided to terminate Imanol Machuca’s contract due to the FIFA sanction stemming from the “Malaysia-gate” scandal.

The “Fortín” board chose to exercise the termination clause set out in the loan contract to part ways with the former Unión player, as first reported by the outlet Sábado Vélez. The move is directly linked to the punishment imposed by the international governing body, which bans the winger from returning to official competition until the first days of November 2026.

The forward had arrived in Liniers at the beginning of 2025 on loan from Brazilian football. However, in September of that same year he received a 12-month suspension. After his initial deal ended in December, and with a precautionary measure from CAS still pending, Vélez backed him again and renewed the loan until the end of the season, while keeping the contractual option to end the employment relationship in June.

The reasons for his departure and his statistics at the club

The player’s situation had already been dragging along administrative and financial complications within the club:

During his spell wearing the “V Azulada” shirt, Imanol Machuca made 28 appearances and scored one goal, including the matches before the suspension and the four games he played thanks to the CAS appeal. During his time at the club, he was part of the squad that won the International Super Cup and the Argentine Super Cup.

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