Club Atlético Independiente closes a 2025 season that was a tale of two halves, another year without trophies, with its mind already set on 2026, where it will look to break this drought, without participating in international competitions and with presidential elections at the end of the year, a factor that will be central in the next 12 months.
The 'Red' closed another disappointing year, even more so considering the hope generated at the start of this 2025 season, which was covered by the Argentine News Agency from beginning to end. With coach Julio César Vaccari at the helm, Independiente had managed to qualify for the Copa Sudamericana after three years without doing so, and it was the first tournament that this board, led by President Néstor Grindetti, had achieved.
Thus, after three years of management in which they fought against relegation and did not compete for any title with five different coaches, the 'Red' once again generated an atmosphere of excitement on the the field with established players like goalkeeper Rodrigo Rey, defender Kevin Lomónaco, Chilean midfielder Felipe Loyola, and Paraguayan forward Gabriel Ávalos, along with reinforcements that gave the team a quality jump, such as Colombian winger Álvaro Ángulo, central defender Sebastián Váldez, and midfielder Luciano Cabral. To this were added players from the youth academy like Lautaro Millán, Diego Tarzia, and Santiago Hidalgo who quickly fit into the team and were key pieces during Independiente's great first semester, where they won Group A of the Copa Sudamericana with 12 points and were eliminated in the Clausura semifinals on penalties against Huracán.
With the longest unbeaten home run in club history (26 matches) and tough matches that they overcame with high-flying football in victories over San Lorenzo in the local tournament's regular phase and over Boca Juniors in the quarterfinals, Vaccari's team left the feeling that, with reinforcements that would give them a further quality leap, they could fight on three fronts: Copa Sudamericana, Torneo Apertura, and Copa Argentina.
However, the germ of 'destroying what was built' that infected Independiente 25 years ago reappeared, and the team collapsed. The controversial sale of Colombian Ángulo, the 'Red's' standout in the first half, to UNAM Pumas of Mexico in exchange for forward Ignacio Pussetto, was one of the turning points. Added to this were promises of sales to various players that did not materialize and reinforcements that did not measure up, which made murmuring take over the four sides of the Libertadores de América stadium - Ricardo Enrique Bochini, and the team fell into a whirlpool that neither the coach nor anyone else could solve.
Without Ángulo, Independiente debuted in the Clausura with a 2-2 draw away to Sarmiento de Junín and, in the second date in Avellaneda, lost 2-1 to Talleres de Córdoba, who were fighting relegation, and cut their 26-match unbeaten run at home. From there, the 'Red' began to accumulate defeats and draws, their level dropped, they were eliminated from the Copa Argentina by Belgrano de Córdoba, and the coach was on the brink, depending on eliminating Universidad de Chile in the Copa Sudamericana to reach the quarterfinals.
After a 1-0 defeat in the Chilean capital of Santiago, August 20 was the turning point of Independiente's year and one of the most lamentable events in the club's history, on a par with the 2012/13 relegation season. After being 1-1 at halftime and following constant aggression and vandalism by the Universidad de Chile fans in Avellaneda against the local public, which led to security deciding not to play the match until the away fans left their stand, Independiente's barra brava invaded the Chileans' section, who were brutally attacked and almost humiliated, being forced to undress and leave the stadium without clothes.
This image of the match, which was finally suspended, went around the world, and on September 4, CONMEBOL decided to disqualify Independiente from the tournament, allowing Universidad de Chile to advance to the quarterfinals. Although this first match was promising, the 'Red' continued without winning for three more matches, extending their winless streak to 15 games.
In a very hostile atmosphere towards the players, Quinteros's team broke out in Avellaneda in the postponed match for date 6 against Platense on October 24, winning 3-0. From that match against the 'Calamar', the 'Red' recovered some of their level, strung together four consecutive wins, and closed the year with a flame of hope for 2026, despite not having qualified for international competitions or for the Clausura round of 16.
Independiente's members will go to the polls again Independiente's members will go to the polls at the end of the year to elect a new board of directors to lead the club for the 2027-2031 period. Although the date of the elections has not yet been set, the club's policy in Avellaneda already breathes this climate, and the pieces are beginning to move to define candidates and positions on the lists for what will perhaps be the central factor in the Independiente world during 2026. There are two groupings that are already campaigning and vying to participate in the elections. One is 'Revolución Independiente' with Roberto Bustamante - former vice-presidential candidate for Claudio Rudecindo by 'Gente de Independiente' - and former goalkeeper Luis Islas. On the other hand, there is the historic 'Lista Roja' which will return to participate in the club's elections after eight years and led by a heavyweight of the Argentine Football Association, the pro-secretary Luciano Nakis.
Meanwhile, the current administration is split into two factions and it is still unknown who will head 'Unidad Independiente' or if they will even present themselves for elections due to the almost unanimous rejection of the membership towards the leadership as a whole, without distinction of actors. In addition, the current Board of Directors is aware that a heavy defeat in the elections could politically bury several members of this management who have been at the club for two decades.
