Boca, River train in Madrid for Libertadores final
>> MADRID: Boca Juniors striker Carlos Tevez conceded playing a Libertadores Cup final in Madrid tomorrow will be “weird” but rejected suggestions River Plate have been put at a disadvantage.
The second leg was moved to Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu after the original fixture at River’s El Monumental stadium was postponed last month, following an attack by their fans on Boca’s team bus.
South America’s football federation, Conmebol, ruled River should lose the chance to play at home, with the game moved abroad amid fears of further fan violence.
“It is a weird final,” Tevez said on Thursday after Boca had trained at Las Rozas, the base of the Spanish national team.
“To play a match between Boca and River in Madrid, it’s weird. But as a player, it is important to stay focused on the match.”
Argentina’s two greatest football rivals competing for South America’s most prestigious club prize out of the country, and in Spain, has proven controversial, with both clubs expressing their disapproval.
Boca believe the chaos caused by River’s fans means they should be awarded the trophy while River have protested against the loss of home advantage enjoyed by their opponents in the first leg, which finished 2-2.
“We would have liked to have played the game at home,” said River goalkeeper Franco Armani on Thursday. “But the decision is already made. We have to make the best of it.”
Both sets of supporters have been allowed an equal allocation of 25,000 tickets for the match in Madrid, despite away fans being banned at Boca’s Bombonera ground, as they would have been at El Monumental.
Asked if River’s chances had been damaged, Tevez said: “I don’t think so. River have a lot more pressure playing at home and now it is 50-50. To play at home, sometimes it goes against you in a Libertadores final.”
Security remains high on the agenda after River’s fans smashed the windows of Boca’s bus and left some of their players injured.
“After Sunday there will be a champion and no more talk,” Armani said. “The only thing I can say is that what happened in Argentina cannot ever happen again.”