América de Cali has retained the six points secured during the opening rounds of the Liga BetPlay II-2026 after the Disciplinary Committee of the División Mayor del Fútbol Colombiano (Dimayor) dismissed formal complaints filed by Internacional de Bogotá and Boyacá Chicó regarding player registration rules.
Dimayor Resolution No. 073 Clears Yhormar Hurtado
According to official documents published in Resolution No. 073, the disciplinary body determined that América de Cali did not violate competition rules regarding the eligibility of defender Yhormar David Hurtado Torres. The ruling protects the results from the club’s first two fixtures of the tournament, ensuring that the team’s standing remains untouched following challenges from opposing executives.
The controversy initially flared after América’s 2-0 victory against Internacional de Bogotá at Estadio El Campín on July 26, 2026, where goals from Jhon Tilman Palacios and Yeison Guzmán secured the win. Internacional de Bogotá subsequently filed a formal challenge with the league, arguing that Hurtado’s prior registrations earlier in the season—spanning Bolivian side Always Ready and Colombian club Deportes Tolima—violated international player statutes regarding the maximum number of clubs a footballer can be registered with during a single competitive cycle.
Rival Objections and Provisional Suspension
Following the initial complaint from the capital club, Boyacá Chicó submitted a similar protest on August 4, 2026, targeting América’s second-match fixture. The complaints leaned on an interpretation of Article 5 of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, which restricts athletes from playing official matches for more than two clubs within a single season under standard calendar overlaps.
In response to the mounting protests, the Dimayor Disciplinary Committee temporarily intervened by issuing a seven-day provisional suspension under Resolution No. 071 on August 4. That short-term ban forced manager David González to omit Hurtado from the squad that faced Once Caldas, with Marcos Mina stepping into the lineup instead. América maintained throughout the inquiry that all administrative steps taken to register the right-back strictly followed applicable league guidelines.
Standings Protected Amid Potential Appeals
With the release of Resolution No. 073, Dimayor officially rejected all requests from Internacional de Bogotá and Boyacá Chicó to award default victories, alter match scores, or reallocate league points. The committee explicitly ruled that América did not breach literals b) and d) of Article 83 of the Colombian Football Federation’s Disciplinary Code (CDU), confirming that Hurtado was fully authorized to take the pitch.
While the decision represents a major legal victory for the club from Cali, the regulatory framework leaves room for further proceedings. According to league statutes, the opposing clubs retain the right to file petitions for reconsideration or appeal under Articles 171, 172, and 173 of the CDU. For now, the table remains as settled on the grass, and copies of the ruling have been transmitted to the Dimayor Sports Management office and the Player Status Commission for formal archiving.
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