Primera Nacional final stretch, Colón out: elections looming? | OneFootball

By Darío Pignata

It’s been a while since the team was out of the fight for direct promotion, and with the draw against Chacarita, they are now almost at the limit of what once seemed a utopia: making it into the Reducido. “We’re not going to hand over the club on December 28,” says the current administration. The opposition, divided and at odds, is not putting on any pressure for now.

Five matches without a win, four straight losses, just one point from the last 15. Even though Ezequiel Medrán’s arrival brought some improvements (there was attitude, commitment, and some individual performances “came back”), the point against Chacarita doesn’t mean much in terms of the standings. To be clear, the debuting coach at the Cementerio de los Elefantes stated: “The first objective is to stay in the division.”

The reality is that Colón (28), having played their match, is now 15 points behind the last team qualified for the Reducido, currently Chaco For Ever (43) led by Ricardo Pancaldo. It’s possible that, by the end of this round, that gap will widen, even though there will still be six final matches and 18 points up for grabs. In other words, by the end of this round, they could be “hanging by a thread,” with a key detail: Sabalero’s goal difference is “minus 13,” which effectively means one less point when doing the math.

Given the situation, as Medrán said, the only thing left to achieve is to stay in the Primera Nacional, a goal that borders on disgrace for a club with Colón’s history and fan base. It’s a snapshot that reflects the total failure of the Godano Era at the helm of the Barrio Centenario club.

The current president himself, in public statements to Sol Play 91.5 before returning after a heavy defeat in Jujuy, said: “If we have to make a choice in the future and Colón is eliminated early, it would be good for people to already be working for next year, giving them much more time than we had, since we took over on December 28.” Obviously, no one “forced” Godano to say what he did. The lethal string of negative results is bringing that idea of “Colón eliminated early” that Godano himself had promised in “La Tacita de Plata” closer to reality.

As happened throughout most of the administration, the famous “inner circle” never moved in the same direction (see: Marcelo Negrete, former vice president, who was ousted behind closed doors). While Godano publicly acknowledges that the best and healthiest thing for Colón is to bring the elections forward, his close associates think and act differently. Some even joke: “The only thing we can guarantee is that we’re not going to hand over the club on December 28 like we received it.”

The statutes of Club Atlético Colón allow for a 60-day window—two months—to call early elections. Otherwise, voting will take place in early December, with no “gesture” and in line with tradition. In sporting terms, to grasp the disaster of professional football, the squad’s vacation will start on October 4. The good news for the players is that it’s “off-season.”

The economic and legal departments guarantee full governance until the end of the term: “We have the money to pay all club employees’ salaries until December, we’ve set aside 30 million pesos per month to continue settling lawsuits, and we even have a $300,000 document from Forneris for October in case anything happens.” On the other hand, what’s seen in the stands is far from what the administration claims: “25,000 members paid their dues, and 22,000 attend home games.” Something doesn’t add up.

Everything seems to indicate that the current leadership, obviously without Godano for more than obvious reasons, is looking to “reorganize” and run in the elections; something that would be a natural obligation for any administration: even the “Vignattismo” did so just days after being relegated in Rosario.

What do they base their hopes on? That behind the utter failure of professional football, there’s life… “there’s another Colón.” Just before Medrán’s debut this Saturday, images went viral showing repairs to the Batres fencing and the synthetic turf at a field at the club headquarters. They boast about the reserve team in the AFA and the youth divisions; women’s football; the long-awaited, well-deserved, and indisputable space for the History Museum. In short: they “distance” themselves from Godano & Moreno’s smart market and focus on everything unrelated to the first team.

Now then, what is the role and stance of the opposition? For now, the “Godanismo without Godano” has an extraordinary advantage: it’s a bag of cats where “everyone is fighting with everyone.” Magdalena plus Abraham against Luciani; Luciani against Vignatti; Magdalena plus Abraham against Vignatti. In this context, they don’t seem to have the strength or desire to “demand” that the president fulfill his promise in the land of Pachamama to “bring elections forward when Colón is out of contention.” That is, next week at the latest.

Far from demonstrations, revolutions, tents, or popular protests—so common in passionate clubs like Colón—the feeling is that people are tired, hurt, resigned. The harsh blow of relegation under Vignatti and two years of embarrassment in the lower division under Godano have been lethal. Only in the context of a lost club like Colón is it possible to accept both things at once: that Vignatti could return at 80 years old and that Godano’s supporters want to continue.

No matter when the vote is held or who the candidates are, one thing is certain in the Sabalero community: in 2025, Colón will choose the most important president for the club’s coming years.

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