The controversy around Ipswich Town midfielder Marcelino Núñez’s departure from the Chile squad is causing quite a storm back home.
As we covered earlier, the Ipswich Town midfielder left the national team camp and returned to England, officially for “personal reasons”.
We’ve now gone through the Chilean press to understand what happened behind the scenes. And it really doesn’t look good.
There are reports of problems with manager Nicolás Córdova, a confrontation with Lucas Cepeda and a very abrupt exit from the camp. There’s even a claim Núñez won’t play for Chile again while Córdova remains in charge.
Problems with Córdova went beyond being left on the bench
ADN Deportes reported that Núñez was angry after getting no minutes against the United States. He had started the previous friendly against Canada and played 52 minutes. Córdova then left him on the bench throughout the 4-2 defeat to the US.
That was apparently only part of the problem. La Tercera say Núñez was already unhappy with Córdova because of the manager’s public comments about his players.
The midfielder reportedly felt Córdova was exposing the squad too much during his press conferences.
One example involved Núñez himself. After the Canada game, Córdova publicly said he needed to take more responsibility as a leader because he plays in the Premier League.
That’s a brutal change from only days earlier, when Núñez had spoken very positively about Córdova and his methods.
Things then escalated after the United States match. Francisco Caneo, speaking to Cooperativa Deportes, says Núñez trained normally the following day. There was then a football-related discussion between players before lunch.
Núñez and Lucas Cepeda raised their voices at each other before the Ipswich player went to confront his teammate. Caneo says there were “some shoves” before other players stepped in.
Córdova then arrived and strongly reprimanded Núñez in front of the group. That reportedly made the midfielder even angrier.
Cooperativa had initially reported that Núñez became annoyed with much of the squad and “almost came to blows” with Cepeda.
“I don’t want any more of this”
There was another issue bubbling away in the background. Information had been leaking from the Chile camp, and Núñez reportedly denied suggestions he was responsible.
Caneo says the midfielder then confronted Córdova as the situation escalated further. According to the journalist, Núñez eventually said: “I don’t want any more of this.”
He then went to assistant manager Felipe Correa and told him he was leaving.
ADN Deportes provided another interesting detail. They say Núñez didn’t communicate his decision directly to Córdova. He instead spoke to Correa, collected his belongings and headed back to England.
The report says the Ipswich player didn’t say goodbye to either his teammates or the coaching staff. That makes the official explanation of “personal reasons” look considerably less straightforward than it initially did.
Claim Núñez won’t return under Córdova
There could now be consequences beyond this international break. ADN Deportes say Núñez has decided he won’t return to the Chile squad while Córdova remains in charge. And this apparently isn’t just a disagreement between one player and the manager.
Caneo reports the episode led Chile’s captains to hold a meeting with Córdova. He says the relationship between the squad and manager subsequently broke down.
According to his account, several players are tired of the current cycle and don’t believe it’s taking the national team anywhere. There’s also suspicion among some members of the squad that information being leaked from the camp actually came from the coaching staff.
That gives another layer to Núñez’s reported anger over suggestions he had been responsible for leaks himself.
Former Chile international Jorge Aravena has since criticised Núñez over the suggestion his lack of minutes contributed to the situation.
“If Marcelino [Núñez], or any other footballer, can’t handle being a substitute, he can’t be there,” Aravena told En Cancha. “Not only in the national team, but in any team.”
He was much less concerned by the reported confrontation with Cepeda, saying arguments between teammates can happen.
For Ipswich, the immediate consequence is simple. Núñez is already back in England and won’t face Mexico on October 6. For Chile, there’s clearly much more to sort out.
