Senator Matías Walker said FIFA, world football's governing body, confirmed during its meetings in Chile that the League and the Federation must go their separate ways, according to Cooperativa. The senator, one of the authors of the new Professional Sports Corporations (SADP) law, alleged that pressure against that separation originated in Quilín, the headquarters of the National Professional Football Association (ANFP).
"FIFA comes along and reiterates what we always said," Walker told Cooperativa Deportes. He explained that the ANFP will become a corporation subject to oversight by the Financial Market Commission (CMF) and will be separate from the Football Federation of Chile.
The senator recalled that during the legislative process they were warned that FIFA would punish Chile for interfering with its autonomy. "FIFA arrives and says: Excuse me, the league is one thing and the Federation is another," he recounted.
For Walker, the resistance had a specific motive. "The objections came from Quilín because they did not want to lose power," he said, adding that the separation model had already been implemented in Spain and England. He also cited support from former Sports Minister Jaime Pizarro and current Minister Francisco Riveros.
The lawmaker detailed what he expects to see implemented: preventing conflicts of interest, ensuring the same officials do not lead both bodies, ending ownership of multiple clubs and club ownership by agents, and making owners' identities transparent. President José Antonio Kast signed the law in June at the National Stadium.
The key detail determining the timetable is the deadline for the law to take effect. The legislation allows 18 months for full implementation, after which leading the Federation and the ANFP simultaneously will be prohibited. For that reason, Walker said the ANFP board elected in November will be transitional.
Asked about the possibility of Pablo Milad remaining at the helm of the Federation during a transition until February 2027, Walker said he had no such information. He also clarified that nobody had invited him to the meeting with FIFA and that there was no reason for him to attend, since the Ministry of Sport is responsible for implementing the law. "There was never any discussion of specific individuals, of Pablo Milad, of extending the term," he said.
Regarding the new Federation, which is currently drafting its model statutes, the senator called for it to include professional football, the National Amateur Football Association (ANFA), the Coaches' Association, male and female players, and referees. The latter, he said, want to be part of the Federation rather than the ANFP because the ANFP is their employer.
The deadline Walker mentioned is specific: according to his remarks, in November next year the Federation and the league must be completely separate, including assets such as Quilín and the Juan Pinto Durán complex.