🚨 Clark resigns as president of Universidad de Chile | OneFootball

Michael Clark announced, on Thursday morning, his resignation from the presidency of Universidad de Chile through a letter published on the club’s official website.

Clark’s full letter

"Dear blue friends:

My arrival to the club presidency in 2021 came at a very complex time for the world and for our institution. We were still living through the ravages of a pandemic that disrupted all our activities and claimed the lives of millions of people across our planet. Many of our supporters and loved ones passed away during that pandemic. It was at that time that I had to take office. In addition, it was in the middle of a very difficult sporting season, which ended with a comeback against Unión La Calera that allowed us to remain in the top division. Las Leonas, meanwhile, were undefeated champions, with a 92.9% success rate and a goal difference of 92 in their favor.

In 2022 we began laying the foundations for the management model we planned for Club Universidad de Chile. We paid off the club’s entire historic debt to the State. In addition, we refinanced all the other debts the Club had when we arrived, which was achieved through the issuance of a bond in the financial market. Paying off our historic debt to the State meant extending the Club’s concession by 15 years, until 2052, a sign of stability and long-term commitment. Thanks to this, we were able to significantly ease our financial burden and project an investment plan that would make it possible to build a stadium for La U. That same year, 2022, we were overcome with grief when we saw a club idol, Leonel Sánchez, pass away.

In 2023 we achieved the goal of getting the Club completely in order, thanks to the work of the entire management team. Las Leonas reached the quarter-finals of the Conmebol Libertadores, and after many years, our club posted an annual result in the black, something that has continued ever since, turning us into a financially solid and stable institution.

In 2024 it was time to go after sporting achievements. A major investment was made in the professional squad and coaching staff. We fought for the National Championship until the final matchday and were left with a bitter taste after the outcome, where we felt the title was taken from us by refereeing decisions. But we were crowned Copa Chile champions after nine seasons without lifting that trophy, we qualified for the Conmebol Libertadores, and a streak of nearly 23 seasons without beating one of our rivals in their stadium came to an end. La U returned to its essence, with a competitive team that played a leading role on every pitch where it appeared.

In 2025, everything good we had been doing had to be consolidated. La U reached the semi-finals of the Conmebol Sudamericana after thrilling nights at a packed Estadio Nacional and remarkable performances abroad. One of the most painful events in the Club’s history was experienced in the stands during the match against Independiente de Avellaneda played in Argentina, where dozens of our supporters were savagely attacked. Situations like those are the only ones in which players and coaching staffs are not called on to be the protagonists, and it is we, the directors, who are called to act. We were able to bring all our people back safe and sound, and we took action against all those who organized that cowardly act. That bitter feeling was prolonged by our failure to reach the final of the Conmebol Sudamericana. On the domestic front, we were protagonists all year, but the wear and tear caught up with us and Coquimbo Unido’s historic campaign pushed us out of the title race. Even so, we won the Supercopa, making a habit of defeating whichever rival was in front of us. On that occasion, it was by three goals to nil.

This 2026 we are getting to see a stellar squad. We have managed to bring together three starting players from our “Golden Generation”: Marcelo, Charles, and Eduardo. It is a privilege to have brought them back home so they can share a dressing room and pass on their experience to the more than 10 academy players who are already part of the professional squad.

My intention and objective as President of Club Universidad de Chile, from my arrival until today, has always been the same: to establish the foundations of an institutional model that would strengthen and professionalize the administrative and sporting structure, framed within a clear and sustainable development plan in the short, medium, and long term.

We are very proud to see that the “Bono Bulla” and our Club achieved an A+ rating from the prestigious risk rating agency Humphreys. Aside from being the highest-rated instrument of its kind within the football industry, it is a tremendous achievement in the financial market and an objective recognition of the Club’s serious and reliable management. It also lays the groundwork for financing the future construction of our Stadium.

These have been very hard-working years, in which I have experienced joy, sadness, and many strong emotions. I have the satisfaction of having devoted myself entirely to the club and of having established a strategic plan that has positioned our Club as one of the strongest institutions on the continent.

At times, tough decisions had to be made, but always with the conviction that we were guided by the roadmap that would allow us to return La U to the place it has always deserved to be.

Along this path, I want to thank — from the bottom of my heart — everyone who is part of our beautiful Club and who has supported me throughout all these years: directors and executives, staff members, coaching staffs, male and female players, youth players, and supporters.

I also want to thank all of the Club’s commercial partners, who believed in us, and especially Adidas, which trusted in our long-term project.

This wonderful experience I have had as President of the Club ends today. Along with the signing of this letter, I have communicated my resignation from the position of President and Director of Azul Azul S.A.

I do not want to say goodbye without first recognizing the work of those who previously held this position. Federico Valdés and José Yuraszeck, who were tasked with getting Azul Azul up and running and who won various titles and the 2011 Copa Sudamericana; Carlos Heller, who added more trophies to our cabinets and worked hard to take the Club to a higher standing. José Luis Navarrete and Cristian Aubert, who also had to live through very difficult times and knew how to navigate through fierce storms.

In saying goodbye, I want to tell you that nothing at La U is easy; everything comes at a cost. And perhaps that is precisely what makes all the good things even more enjoyable and more beautiful. I have no doubt that, under the roadmap we have written together with the Board, sporting success will soon become permanent, and soon the great aspiration we have worked so hard for will be announced: to have a sports coliseum of our own that we can use on a permanent basis.

My best wishes to the new President of La U, whether man or woman, as well as to those who will soon take their places on the Board. I will always be available to contribute in whatever you may need from me. A big hug to everyone."

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

📸 MARTIN BERNETTI - AFP or licensors