Universitario Wins Appeal to Play Against Sporting Cristal with Fans

LIMA, Peru — Universitario de Deportes will face Sporting Cristal with fans present at the Estadio Monumental after successfully appealing a previous ban. The appeal was filed days before their important match set for Thursday, May 22, 2025.

The sanction, imposed due to an incident between players and fans after Universitario’s loss to Alianza Atlético, threatened to cost the club significant revenue as well as home-field advantage. Jean Ferrari, the club’s administrator, voiced strong opposition against the penalty. “This is arbitrary and without precedent. It only harms the club,” he said on social media.

Before the appeal, there were concerns about whether the Tribunal de Apelaciones would meet in time to consider the case, as it typically convenes every 15 days. However, sports journalist Kevin Pacheco reported that the Tribunal received Universitario’s appeal and scheduled a session for Wednesday, May 21.

The move to appeal was also supported by the Policía Nacional del Perú, which warned that holding the match without fans could lead to uncontrollable crowd reactions and potential disturbances outside the stadium. Their intervention emphasized the need for proper crowd management during such high-stakes matches.

On the day before the match, the Tribunal officially revoked the initial decision, allowing Universitario to play with a full stadium. Nonetheless, they retained a financial sanction of six Unidades Impositivas Tributarias (UIT), which the club must pay.

As of now, Universitario sits third in the league standings with 23 points, while Sporting Cristal is fifth with 22 points. Both teams desperately seek victory to improve their ranking as the season progresses.

This match is crucial for Universitario, not just for potential earnings but also for maintaining their competitiveness in the championship. Fans have eagerly anticipated attending the match, with over 40,000 tickets already sold.