Boca explain membership drop: historic clean-up and deal with RENAPER | OneFootball

The recent annual survey published by the Argentine Football Association (AFA) has had a significant impact in the sports world by revealing the updated figures of the membership base of the First Division clubs. The most talked-about data was that of Boca Juniors, which showed a marked administrative decline: from the 323,586 registered members in 2024, the official figure dropped to 282,644 for the first months of 2026. This difference of almost 41,000 people raised questions among fans and the specialized press.

In response to the repercussions of this data, Ricardo Roscia, General Secretary of the Boca institution, gave an interview to Cadena Xeneize to provide reassurance and explain the nature of this accounting movement. The official was emphatic in clarifying that it is not a massive exodus of members, but a process of "sincerity" and technical cleansing of records that had not been carried out for decades. According to Roscia, the registry was tainted with outdated information that included, astonishingly, even the club's number one member, who had already passed away.

The key element for this update was a strategic agreement signed with the National Registry of Persons (RENAPER). Through this agreement, the club from La Ribera was able to cross-reference its database with the official death records of the State, detecting a large number of people who continued to appear as active but had already died. "There were deceased people for whom no one notified the club, and they remained on the registry," confessed the secretary, emphasizing that this "cleaning" process was an outstanding debt of the administrative management.

In addition to the deceased, the cleansing also reached delinquent members. Roscia explained that cases were detected of people who had interrupted their payments as far back as 2010 or 2015. Although the club's statute establishes automatic removal after six months of non-payment, the management admitted to having had special consideration during the 2020 pandemic, a period during which regularization of dues was not required. However, for 2026, it was decided to normalize the situation, leaving on the list only those who truly maintain their commitment to the institution.

Despite this reduction, Boca remains in the second tier of clubs with the largest social support in the country, only surpassed by River Plate, which tops the list with 352,712 members. The "Top 10" of Argentine football is completed by Independiente with 165,262, followed by Rosario Central and Racing, who manage to surpass the 100,000-member mark, consolidating the phenomenon of membership participation in local clubs.

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