The forward of National Nicolás López showed himself surprised and hurt after coach Jorge Bava informed him on Saturday night that he will not count on him for the second half of the 2026 season.
After the victory against Juventudfor the fourth date of group B of the Intermediate Tournament, Bava approached several players who were returning on the bus to the Los Céspedes Sports City to have a one-on-one talk with them.
In the Los Céspedes chalet, the coach went head-to-head with López and He told him that he does not plan to rely on his services. for what is coming: the definition of the Intermediate Tournament, the Copa Sudamericana and the Clausura Tournament.
Bava’s explanations pointed to sports and change that he intends to bring to the team facing the second half of 2026.
“Do you know that I have a contract?” López told him, as far as he could tell Refereewhose link with Nacional extends to the December 31 of this year.
“What’s going to happen in the preseason?” asked.
The coach replied that He is only going to take the players he plans to count on.
The tricolors will do preseason in Solanas.
“Do you know that I have 800 lucas to collect here? Are you going to pay me for it?”López asked again, very upset.
“That is a topic that you will have to settle with the leaders”, Bava answered.
“I scored 40 goals and you came to kick me out,” added the footballer, very hurt.
López, who returned to Nacional in mid-2024, scored 39 goals and gave 14 assists in 76 matches.
The player will now assess any type of offerbut first he plans to resolve his economic situation in Nacional.
The 32-year-old striker sees it as one of the possibilities stay unemployed for six months in Nacional so that the club fulfills the contract that has been signed. If the scenario of a contractual termination arises, in principle, He has no desire to give up anything of money.
His teammates received the news with deep regret since the Tooth is very loved by the rest of the squad and is one of the references of the same.
The Colombian Jhon Guzmán, the Argentine Mauricio Vera, Juan de Dios Pintado, Gonzalo Carneiro, the goalkeeper Ignacio Suárez and Exequiel Mereles They are the other players that Bava will no longer count on.
Carneiro and Mereles, like López, they are Pablo Bentancur playerswhose Relationship with Vice President Flavio Perchman is severedand the dialogue with the board involves other managers, such as Alex Saúl.
He told some of them before the game.. To others after the same.
There was a situation that fell very badly within the squad and it was that of Juan de Dios Pintado.
The full-back was changed when he received the call from his representative to tell him that Bava was no longer going to count on him. Against Juventud he stayed on the substitute bench and did not enter.
