The Ministry of Labor of Colombia issued a Resolution, this November 13, 2025, ordering the cancellation of the union registration of the Colombian Association of Professional Soccer Players (ACOLFUTPRO).

This decision is based on a judicial process initiated by the Major Division of Colombian Football (Dimayor) and the Colombian Football Federation.

The Ministry’s resolution complies with a court order, acting in accordance with its powers to “Advance actions related to the procedures approved for the cancellation of the Trade Union Registration.”

The special process of cancellation, dissolution, and liquidation of the union registration was presented by Dimayor and the Colombian Football Federation before the Twelfth Labor Court of the Bogotá Circuit.

In the first instance, the Twelfth Labor Court of the Bogotá Circuit, by ruling of January 30, 2025, decided to declare the illegality of the constitution of the first-degree union and union organization called ACOLFUTPRO.

In that judicial decision, the Ministry of Labor was ordered to cancel the union registration of ACOLFUTPRO, which was registered on May 2, 2023.

Bye ACOLFUTPRO? Judicial blow to the footballers’ union

Second Instance, ACOLFUTPRO filed an appeal. There the Labor Chamber of the Superior Court of the Judicial District of Bogotá, by ruling of February 19, 2025, decided to modify the first instance ruling.

This established that the cancellation of ACOLFUTPRO’s union registration “does not entail the cancellation of its legal status, nor its dissolution or liquidation.”

Based on the court ruling, the Coordinator of the Internal Labor Relations Working Group, Claudia Marcela Bustamante, ordered the formal cancellation.

In this sense, the Ministry of Labor proceeded to cancel the registration of the Colombian Association of Professional Soccer Players (ACOLFUTPRO) in the Trade Union Registry.

On the date of the resolution, ACOLFUTPRO, a first-level union and guild organization, appeared as registered and current in the Union Archive database.

So far ACOLFUTPRO has not commented on the decision, however it is clear that as a union they will not be able to continue acting, but as an association it would not have to dissolve.

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