Genie Posted November 25, 2018 Share Posted November 25, 2018 What a farce, called off again after they started letting people in? Is there nobody out there able to organise this? Infantino obviously involved yet allowing this ridiculous situation to continue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest av1 Posted November 25, 2018 Share Posted November 25, 2018 And the world thinks English fans are words removed. I'd cancel the game completely and just declare this seasons competition void. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted November 25, 2018 Share Posted November 25, 2018 40 minutes ago, av1 said: And the world thinks English fans are words removed. I'd cancel the game completely and just declare this seasons competition void. Well River won a dodgy game vs Gremio to get this far Should be kicked out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted November 26, 2018 Moderator Share Posted November 26, 2018 Copa Libertadores: The 36 hours that shamed Argentine football Quote Copa Libertadores: The 36 hours that shamed Argentine football Saturday's fixture between River Plate and Boca Juniors was going to be the biggest club match in the 127-year history of Argentine football. But it is yet to take place. The biggest club match in the world this year and, after a 2-2 draw in the first leg, was tantalisingly poised. For once, the Copa Libertadores final was getting worldwide attention from fans salivating at the prospect of two of the bitterest rivals in world football taking each other on for the right to own South America again. Whichever way you looked at it, the occasion could not fail to deliver excitement, drama and a story that would be talked about for years. Two hours before what should have been the kick-off, the Black Eyed Peas boomed out of the speakers in River's Estadio Monumental, telling us that it was going to be a good, good night. It turned out to be anything but. All week, fans from both sides had talked about their sleep deprivation and fear of losing, which seemed greater than the thought of winning. Demand for tickets was predictably high, as was the opportunity that the market provided. One man exchanged his ticket for a job, while there were reports of others being sold for six-figure sums. The president of River Plate, Rodolfo D'Onofrio, was forced to change his WhatsApp profile picture to one that simply said: "I have no tickets". "This is an honour and a huge responsibility to organise this event," he told me. "For us River fans it's very significant because we'll show the world the passion of Argentina and how we feel about football." On the day of the match, the mood seemed to have shifted from anxiety to excitement. En route to the stadium, through the evocative crackle of an AM radio, a presenter declared it to be "the match of all time". Security was stringent with regular checkpoints halting early arrivals in their tracks at regular intervals. But, as we took our seats in the famous stadium, chattering excitedly about what was to come, news filtered through of the attack on the Boca Juniors bus. It was illustrated with video and photos on social media. But much of what followed for the rest of the weekend was richly marinated in rumours and conspiracy theories. First, there were reports the Boca players had been attacked with pepper spray by River fans in a copycat act of reprisal for what Boca fans did to the River players in 2015 when they last met in the Libertadores. Then, as it became clear that the players had inhaled teargas fired by police, there was news that flying glass had gone into the eye of the Boca captain Pablo Perez. Other outlets said he just had a cut arm. Inside the stadium, an atmosphere was building. But you knew the best of the fans' passion and noise was being kept in reserve for the match itself. A hissing cascade of red and white plastic streamers was released from the top tier in preparation to welcome players who would never set foot on the pitch. Then, where are the team sheets? And why has the booming music been switched off, albeit mercifully? Social media posts began talking of a possible delay to kick-off. The singing declined and became desultory conversation as the energy was palpably sucked out of the air. An atmosphere that had been so vibrant and full of promise now lay heavy on the stadium. Someone tweeted that Boca had demanded the match be awarded to them, as it had been awarded to River after the pepper spray incident of 2015. But someone else said that the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, had threatened to disqualify Boca if they didn't play. The trouble was that all of these contradictory rumours were coming from people who were supposed to be in the know - local journalists and big media organisations. But what was fact, and what was fiction? The kick-off time of 5pm local time came and went, just as we heard that Perez had gone to hospital to get treatment for his eye. But as we were waiting to hear about his condition, news came through that the match would be delayed by just an hour. The music returned but not the crowd's earlier carefree mood. And they were right. No sign of any players by six o'clock. But just as talk was growing of an actual postponement, Boca coaches came onto the pitch to put out cones and balls for a warm-up, and they were followed by the referee and his assistants, to great cheers from the fans. But a restless feeling that the game really wasn't going to be played continued to gnaw. Older hands in the press box spoke of how the 2015 abandonment had never been communicated to fans for fear of antagonising them. Instead, the authorities had relied on fatigue among the spectators to blunt their inevitable anger and disappointment. But once again, gloomy speculation was balanced by promising news. The official Boca Juniors Twitter account had announced a starting line-up and, amazingly, Perez was in it. But where were the actual players? On their way back to their hotels, it emerged. The game really was not going to happen, but no-one told the crowd that. But, thanks to social media, the news got around, and they began to trudge out of the stadium as the conspiracy theories started to take hold. One said the attack on the bus was an act of revenge by the River Plate Barra Brava - the powerful and violent wing of its hardcore support - after its leader's home had been raided by police a day earlier. Another said the police let it happen to undermine the governing authority of Buenos Aires. Meanwhile, what was going to happen to the biggest club match in Argentine football history? Boca demanded a walkover, said some. It was going to be switched to another stadium, said others. It would be played behind closed doors, was a report that was gaining momentum. What was for sure, was that it was a night of humiliation for Argentine and South American football. Alejandro Dominguez, the head of South American football, launched a flurry of midnight tweets describing events as a disgrace and not pulling any punches in blaming the organising authorities. But he did hope that Sunday would pass peacefully, which suggested a mere 24-hour delay before the match was played in front of a full Monumental. And he reinforced that impression on Sunday morning on local TV, when he reiterated the game would kick off at 5pm, with fans in attendance. So the fans went, but in duty rather than jubilant expectation. They went out of blind loyalty, to support their team but, as one said to me, they were sad. "Even if we win, in the next months, everyone will remember this for what happened yesterday," he said. "This game shouldn't be played today." Then, a rare piece of concrete news. Boca Juniors released a statement confirming that they didn't want to play because conditions for the players weren't equal. Then, just 10 minutes later, an uncharacteristically swift and unequivocal development - Conmebol president Dominguez confirmed the match was off. And that was that. Beneath glorious sunshine, once again the River Plate fans trudged away. But there was no anger, there was no emotion at all. The shame of the weekend had broken them. A match that would carve the names of a few lucky players into the history of Argentine - and world - football did not take place. Instead, this crazy weekend will be remembered forever as one of Argentine shame, laid bare before the astonished gaze of the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted November 26, 2018 Share Posted November 26, 2018 Listening to the Football Weekly podcast who'd sent a reporter out there and he's raised some interesting points about what's going to happen next. There is a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, presumably it will be late afternoon in Europe before we hear anything but if they do try to play this game again then the window of opportunity is pretty tiny. The 13th G20 summit is in Buenos Aires this year and it starts on Friday (30th November) and that is going to be a huge burden on police resources so it's highly unlikely they can attempt to replay the game this weekend., then the FIFA Club World Cup starts in the UAE ten days after the G20 ends and South America still need to decide their representative in the competition as nobody has actually won the Libertadores yet. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they just award the trophy to Boca and be done with it as anything else is likely to result in another riot, right? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 Genoa has offered to host 2nd leg as the city has connection to both clubs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 Rearranged but to be played outside argentina. 8/9 December 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S-Platt Posted November 27, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted November 27, 2018 Will be played in USA me thinks Pasadena Rose Bowl would be nice 100 thousand in attendance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 41 minutes ago, S-Platt said: Will be played in USA me thinks Pasadena Rose Bowl would be nice 100 thousand in attendance. Cant see it. Little time for people to travel and doubt many locals be that interested especially as probably would clash with NFL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 Montevideo Still a punishment and outside of BA but the river fans will just get the ferry over and still fill the stadium so the argument of a neutral ground giving boca an advantage will be gone, river will win it and the violence next season will be even worse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 Seeing this and what happened in Greece I'm starting to think English fans are some of the better behaved. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Czechlad Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 2 hours ago, Wainy316 said: Seeing this and what happened in Greece I'm starting to think English fans are some of the better behaved. Every country has some terrible fans. I regularly go to Czech league, Championship, and MLS matches. I've never felt unsafe at the stadiums except once in Houston, TX when I was wearing a LA Galaxy shirt, and a bunch of Dynamo supporters surrounded my car and started shaking it back and forth. Police had to disperse them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted November 28, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted November 28, 2018 AS are reporting that it's "likely" that the final will now be played in Doha. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 16 hours ago, Stevo985 said: AS are reporting that it's "likely" that the final will now be played in Doha. Makes sense for once as World Club Cup is 4 days later in UAE so less travel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sne Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 Madrid and Santiago Bernabeu it is then. December 9th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S-Platt Posted November 29, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted November 29, 2018 if I was a younger man with no ties I would be making the trip to Madrid for this once in a lifetime chance really. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted December 1, 2018 Moderator Share Posted December 1, 2018 River Plate are refusing to play it in Spain. It's a big challenge to the South American authority - do they just give to Boca or do they find a way to move it back to el monumental? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted December 1, 2018 Share Posted December 1, 2018 33 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said: River Plate are refusing to play it in Spain. It's a big challenge to the South American authority - do they just give to Boca or do they find a way to move it back to el monumental? Well give it to Boca is logical. Farcical River getting a 2nd chance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted December 1, 2018 Moderator Share Posted December 1, 2018 13 minutes ago, Zatman said: Well give it to Boca is logical. Farcical River getting a 2nd chance Sadly the way of the world is the they'll be worried about a legal claim from River. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted December 1, 2018 Share Posted December 1, 2018 11 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said: Sadly the way of the world is the they'll be worried about a legal claim from River. Maybe but Boca were kicked out for simikar vs River couple of seasons back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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