Brazilian media have reported that the governing body of South American football is studying the possibility of not playing the decisive duel at the Monumental in Buenos Aires in case Atlético Mineiro and Botafogo advance.
The Copa Libertadores is entering its definition phase. The first legs of the semi-finals of the competition left two clear winners. Atlético Mineiro beat River Plate 3-0 in Belo Horizonte. In the meantime, Botafogo beats Peñarol 5-0 in Rio de Janeiro.
Both teams were on track to qualify for the final match of the continental tournament. However, This generated a Conmebol earthquake. South American football’s governing body is considering changing the venue for the final, which will be played in Buenos Aires at the Más Monumental stadium.
The reason? That They do not consider it feasible to carry out a Brazilian definition in the trans-Andean country. . Remember that since 2019, the Copa Libertadores has organized a single final, in a neutral venue and stadium, chosen in advance. In this sense, Radio Itatiaia assured that Conmebol was studying the possibility of not playing the final at River Plate.
Change of seat?
The main cause is linked, logically, to the territory. At Conmebol, it is not certain that the large capacity of the Monumental will be complemented by two Brazilian teams as finalists, since the Buenos Aires stadium has a capacity of 86 thousand spectators.
“Last week, at Conmebol headquarters in Luque, in the metropolitan region of Asunción, Paraguay, The possibility of withdrawing the match from the Monumental de Núñez has been raised if River Plate is not present », Detailed the aforementioned Brazilian media.
“Conmebol has already prepared reports predicting participation in the final, in all possible scenarios. Significant ticket sales are not expected for home fans, so the risk of a very empty stadium is real. And that worries Conmebol “, he continued.
This is why the entity based in Luque, Paraguay, does not want the same thing to happen to it as in 2022. In this case, the final between Sao Paulo and Independiente del Valle, played at the Mario Alberto Kempes stadium of Cordoba, was far from finished. to have its full capacity. The blank spaces were clearly visible in the official transmission.
In 2023, a change of venue had already been made, but to the Copa Sudamericana. The final between Fortaleza and La Liga de Quito moved from Centenario de Montevideo to Domingo Burgueño Miguel de Maldonado.
For this reason, Conmebol is already looking for options, according to Itatiaia. The alternatives would be the Libertadores de América stadium, located in Avellaneda, and the Único de La Plata stadium. . Both have about half the capacity of the Monumental, so it would be easier to sell tickets to watch the final.
Source: Latercera
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