Estudiantes, a revolution alone

Estudiantes de La Plata is the only non-Brazilian club in the Copa Libertadores semi-finals and is championing a controversial shift to corporate ownership (SAD model) in Argentina.

Estudiantes de La Plata faces Flamengo in the Copa Libertadores semi-final second leg at the Maracaná on Thursday, but the club is also making waves off the pitch. Under president Juan Sebastián Verón, Estudiantes has become Argentina's leading advocate for adopting the Sociedades Anónimas Deportivas (SAD) corporate ownership model, breaking ranks with the country's traditional non-profit club structure and the AFA's established power structure. The move is seen as bold but costly, challenging the dominant ideology in Argentine football.