Fake certificate scandal: The Mendoza Football League announced it will not operate until further notice.

"Clubs are hereby notified that the decision has been made to suspend the entity's activities until a new provider is hired for the players' medical examinations," reads part of the statement issued by the league.

In addition, the governing body announced the termination of the contracted service provider "in view of the legal situation reported against it."

Juan Manuel Sánchez is the name of the prosecutor for non-specialized crimes and he is the man who will have to investigate and clarify what happened with the alleged falsified medical certificates of several soccer players.

Following this shock affecting the governing body of local soccer, Omar Sperdutti, head of the LMF, told the media that "we had to wait for justice to determine responsibility."

The Mendoza Football League 's lawyer, Alejandro Jofré, assured a news website that they submitted all the required documentation and that if inconsistencies are confirmed, action will be taken against the medical company.

The LMF's legal department told the press that the case is under seal, so the details are confidential. "To date, the League has no charges, nor have its members. We are gathering documentation to later submit it to the prosecutor's office."

It's a complex case because it's unclear how many fake certificates there are, so it's necessary to investigate. Between 7,000 and 8,000 people in the league have their football cards. What is known is that, since the end of 2022, the medical provider that performs the medical examinations for the LMF is believed to belong to the Maipú Municipal Workers Union (STMM).

What's more, this week saw an incident that could easily be included in football lore: one of the Maipú club's gates was completely painted over, obliterating the municipal union's acronym. In other words, if you read between the lines, the Cruzado team wants to distance itself from the union over such a thorny issue.

At the beginning of June, during a regular meeting of the Mendoza Football League's board of directors, the time came to discuss an important and sensitive issue: the mandatory renewal of medical examinations every six months. So far, so good; remember, this medical examination is essential for the "OK" that an athlete must receive when performing League-level activities.

Giuliana Díaz, head of the LMF women's soccer committee, was present at that meeting. Díaz noticed that one of the specialists who was supposed to perform the medical checks was a relative. Surprised, because her relative had never mentioned that she performed this work for the governing body, she consulted her aunt, a cardiologist. She was greatly surprised when the relative replied that she had no relationship with the outsourced specialist who, until yesterday, had been performing the medical procedures.

The professional noticed that the certificates had been forged with an inappropriate signature and a falsified seal. The doctor involved, a relative of Giuliana Díaz, is named Marisa Torre and was the one who filed the complaint.

The heart specialist presented 58 falsifications to the courts, which were made with a fake seal.

Thus began an event that currently has nearly 8,000 soccer players on edge, unable to play until "further notice." This has also affected the Apertura final between Fadep and Deportivo de Guaymallén, which will have to be rescheduled.

Dr. Torre reportedly has no employment relationship with the medical services company that issued the certificates, nor with La Liga. Her only connection to the Maipú Municipal Workers Union is that she works for the Municipality of that department in the southeast of Greater Mendoza.

Everything suggests that the alleged frauds have been taking place since 2022, the year in which the Maipú company began performing these types of medical procedures.

What the Prosecutor's Office will have to investigate is how many of the certificates are fake. It will also have to investigate whether STMM is authorized to provide these types of services and what happened to the money they paid for a service that never existed, that is fake, and that costs 37,000 pesos per person.

The Prosecutor's Office is targeting two technicians who issued the certificates. Documentation was found at their home that could help clarify this case.

Two more people are under the scrutiny of prosecutor Juan Manuel Sánchez: a doctor and the head of the medical services provider Fabio Alenda, who is also the secretary general of the STMM (State Ministry of the Ministry of Public Works).

Recall that the prosecutor's office raided the following locations: the headquarters of the Mendoza League , the home of the two technicians, the headquarters of the Maipú Municipal Workers Union, and the doctor's home, among others.

Prominent lawyer Pablo Cazaban is defending several of the individuals under the scrutiny of the Prosecutor's Office and who are believed to be responsible for this entire mess.

In radio statements, the respected legal professional maintained that the complaint was "false" and that "Everything reported is false."

Cazaban represents Fabio Alenda, the two technicians, and the other doctor. He also indicated that the STMM has no relationship with the Mendoza League. "They hired Fabio Alenda. The resumes of each of the professionals who would conduct the studies were included in an internal file."

Dr. Pablo Cazaban stated, "I will prove before the court that my clients never forged the professional's signature," and added that "all the studies were conducted in accordance with scientific protocols."

On the other hand, let's remember that for quite some time, parents, family members, and players have been requesting these types of clinical studies through their respective health insurance plans, through their private insurance plans, or privately, and this is something that still hasn't received a clear, official response from the governing body of Mendoza soccer.