Universidad Católica filed a formal complaint this Tuesday with the National Professional Football Association (ANFP) over the rescheduling of its match against Audax Italiano. The Liga de Primera match was set for Wednesday, October 28 at 20:30 at Claro Arena.
According to Cooperativa, the match was originally scheduled for Saturday, October 10. It was postponed on Friday, October 9 because of mudslides that hit Las Condes, the municipality where Católica's stadium is located, and the new date was set on Monday, October 19.
The resulting schedule left Católica with little rest. It will visit Unión La Calera on Sunday, October 25 at 15:00, host Audax three days later and, four days after that, face Universidad de Chile in the derby on Sunday, November 1 at 17:15.
The club based its complaint on Article 28 of the regulations under Law No. 19,327, which governs safety at professional football events. That article requires authorization to be requested from the authorities at least 10 working days in advance. The interval between the rescheduling and the match does not meet that requirement.
Cruzados, the company that runs Católica, acknowledged that the rule allows exceptions with stated grounds, but said it had received no formal documents confirming authorization. It also questioned whether the ANFP had met its own deadlines for rescheduling postponed matches.
In its statement, Católica argued that the rules imposed on clubs also bind the tournament organizer, and that applying them consistently safeguards transparency and equality among participants.
Despite the complaint, the club said it was "fully willing to play the match" and proposed alternative dates, although it did not disclose them publicly. It asked the ANFP to "reconsider the announced schedule and issue a decision stating its grounds." No response from the governing body is known so far.
The team has gone almost a month without playing. Its last match was on September 26 against Unión La Calera in the Chilean Cup, when it was eliminated on penalties at home at Claro Arena. If the ANFP maintains the schedule, UC will play three matches in eight days starting on October 25.