Sportivo Ameliano Reverses Photographer Dress Code After Outcry

By Amara Osei

Sportivo Ameliano backed down on a stadium dress code barring photographers, men and women, from low-cut blouses and outfits exposing the navel. Its rules also barred women from wearing leggings in colors other than black or dark blue.

The Paraguay-based club plays in the Paraguayan Primera División, the country’s top soccer league. It issued the guidelines for photographers and reporters inside its stadium. The club said it wanted to maintain its institutional image. That general request against revealing outfits became gender-specific limits on working attire.

For a working photographer, a stadium clothing rule operates like an entry condition. Having suitable camera equipment cannot compensate for violating venue terms. The episode therefore concerned the practical ability to accept and complete assignments, not a stated change in camera equipment or image licensing.

What did the new guidelines require?

• Photographers of any gender could not wear low-cut blouses or outfits exposing the navel.
• Women photographers could wear leggings only in black or dark blue.
• Reporters and photographers were asked to avoid revealing outfits to maintain the club’s institutional image.

The account gave no detail about enforcement or exemptions. It also described no process for resolving a clothing restriction before entering the ground. Working photographers consequently lacked a clear route for addressing a disputed condition on assignment.

Why did Adriana Caballero object?

Adriana Caballero, a 29-year-old professional sports photographer, regularly covers Paraguayan Primera División games. She has more than 200,000 followers on Instagram. She believes Sportivo Ameliano introduced the code after images of her photographing a soccer game circulated widely, and says the ban left her uncomfortable and surprised.

“I always want to wear the most comfortable clothes possible for my job. Sooner or later it probably had to come to this,” Caballero said, according to reports.

In a further radio interview, she said she prioritizes her own comfort. The statement had come as a shock, and she worried that it could harm other female sports photographers and journalists. Her public comments prompted fierce criticism of the club on social media and wider discussion about discrimination against women in Paraguayan sports journalism.

What did the club say after the backlash?

Club president Hector Melgarejo told Fútbol a lo Grande in a Thursday interview that the dress code had been issued without management approval. He said: “I deeply regret that this has happened.” The directive came from the person responsible for the press without club authorization, and did not represent the club’s institutional position.

Melgarejo said the club would issue a formal statement distancing itself from the code. He still did not know why it had been introduced. He was waiting for an explanation after an unfinished meeting with the press lead.

His account separates the club’s official position from the action of one employee. It leaves the directive’s origin unresolved. That distinction determines whether photographers receive a reliable instruction or a disputed one at the venue.

What does the reversal settle for working photographers?

The promised statement had not yet been issued at the time of the interview. The policy change remained partly described rather than formally communicated. For photographers covering the Paraguayan Primera División club, the immediate issue is whether management will confirm that the dress code no longer governs stadium entry.

A written withdrawal would give working photographers a clearer basis for planning coverage at the stadium. Silence would leave photographers handling a contradiction. They would have to reconcile the president’s public disavowal with instructions already issued by the press operation.

The forthcoming institutional statement and the explanation still awaited from the press lead will test whether this was an isolated approval failure. They will also show whether the episode became a recurring obstacle to covering matches.