When will we learn, here in Argentina, that football/soccer is just a game? It seems like it evolved from that. Football lost its true colors a while ago, and yesterday was the final nail in the coffin for a sport infested with corruption tainting The Beautiful Game.
The Context
Boca and River were set to play the second leg of the Libertadores final yesterday after a 2-2 tie in La Bombonera. The pre-game events were a party and true to the nature of the game. Boca held an open training session that broke the all-time record for fans at such an event, and it seemed that the stage for the SuperFinal was a true celebration.
Entrenamiento de Boca a puertas abiertas antes de la vuelta de la final de la Copa Libertadores.
Por favor, #NoMeDigasQueEsSoloUnJuego pic.twitter.com/Fokots3HHW
— Gaby Dagnino (@GabyDagninoS) November 23, 2018
The match was highly regarded as the final of the world, the final to end all finals. Boca versus River, River versus Boca, the events that transpired yesterday ruined it for everybody.
It’s worth noting something that happened during the week that’s believed to have caused this. Here in Argentina we still have what in England are called hooligans, but here we call them “Barrabravas.” During the week, River’s barra brava leader “Caverna” was captured with seven million pesos and 300 original tickets. The connection between the barras and Rodolfo D’Onofrio (River’s president) was already known, but it’s suspected that D’Onofrio betrayed them, and they were the ones that incited the incident that ended up in the suspension of the match (again these are all theories, but they do make sense).
The Events
Boca’s bus was entering the stadium when plenty of River degenerates started attacking it. They threw concrete and bricks at it while shattering many windows and caused the pepper spray thrown at the fans to enter the team bus and damage the Boca players.
EL MOMENTO DEL ATAQUE AL MICRO DE BOCA
Hinchas de River lanzaron objetos y piedras al colectivo del equipo xeneize. https://t.co/s5kzpTyGgN pic.twitter.com/OCd9RNHvwe— LA NACION (@LANACION) November 24, 2018
Boca’s players were left injured, especially team captain Pablo Perez who had to be taken to the hospital with a glass splinter in his eye. Youth player Lamardo was also rushed to the hospital because he was struck by a projectile.
The Aftermath
In the middle of the confusion after the shameful attacks, the match was originally delayed an hour. That’s where the corrupt, disgraceful bastards of the CONMEBOL enter this travesty. Why on earth wouldn’t you simply suspend the match after it was clear Boca’s players were in no physical/mental condition to go on with the game? Alejandro Dominguez, CONMEBOL president, is the main clown of this all (I want to write all kind of explicit things about him, but I can’t.)
Tevez, Boca’s referent in this time of crisis, said that at first Boca players were being literally pressured into playing the match and that if they didn’t comply, the match would be given to River, and they’d face a 10-year ban from international tournaments.
Because of the money in play and the market behind the almighty Superfinal, CONMEBOL wanted the show to go on at whatever cost. This meant even if it was jeopardizing the true competition of the stage. Here’s where River acted somewhat generously: they agreed with Boca to postpone the game. Credit where credit is due, what River players and managers did yesterday to agree to postpone the game was an act of chivalry.
The Result
The game was rescheduled for at 17:00 PM local time. News has literally just broken out about the further suspension of the game because of Boca players not being 100% recovered from yesterday’s incidents.
It’s also worth noting that something quite similar happened back in 2015, where River was attacked with pepper spray by Boca fans at halftime. What happened there? Match given to River and Boca disqualified. What happens now? Match rescheduled. Not even a ban on River Plate fans after a shameful attack. CONMEBOL is forever tainted, as it’s proven this Libertadores, with plenty of other incidents, that they’re a bunch of incompetent, gutless businessmen, who, (forgive me now for language) don’t give a single shit about the world of football.