TAS Ruling Allows Facundo Garcés to Rejoin Alavés After Suspension

omidbasir- On Tuesday afternoon, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS) granted a provisional ruling in favor of Facundo Garcés following his 12-month suspension imposed by FIFA for submitting “manipulated documentation” to be called up for the Malaysian national team.

As a result, the Argentine defender has rejoined the training sessions at Ibaia, marking him as the first reinforcement of the winter transfer window for coach Eduardo Coudet.

Garcés had been sidelined since his suspension on September 26. During this time, he was unable to engage in daily activities with the Alavés squad and had to train individually. The immediate plan now is to help him regain his competitive form and match fitness after four months without official matches, a situation reminiscent of his arrival in Vitoria last year when he had barely played in the preceding year at Colón.

Garcés’s development will shape Coudet’s strategy moving forward, and it seems likely that he will be incorporated into the team’s plans sooner rather than later. The coach is currently short on defensive options, with Pacheco being the only specialized central defender, and neither Yusi nor Parada has managed to secure the left-back position fully. This has led Coudet to deploy Jonny in that role against Betis and reposition Benavidez as a central defender, allowing Tenaglia to take up the right flank.

Since Coudet’s arrival, Garcés has been an indispensable player, and this provisional ruling is a significant boost for the Argentine coach. It remains to be seen whether Alavés’s plans to sign a central defender during the winter transfer window will change following the TAS decision. However, it is clear that Garcés’s return provides the Alavés coach with an additional option for a defense that, despite various challenges, ranks as the eighth least conceded in the league.